Bloodstained Hands in a World of White
by dogloser
Summary: The Kamui Sharingan was supposed to have killed Kakashi in his fight against Pein, and yet he somehow wakes up - within his thirteen-year-old body and without Obito's Sharingan. Stranded in a new but old second life, Hatake Kakashi determines that he will fix what he had broken, so many years ago, all while he fears that a broken man can only continue to break, not fix. (A03 fic)
1. Chapter 1

Pain was the first thing to register in Kakashi's mind, slowly sinking and settling over him like the dawn of a new day. His body ached dully all over, he realized faintly, but it was a familiar ache. His muscles felt weighted down and lifeless, as if yesterday he had been in a day-long sparring contest with Gai, and yet - he couldn't recall any such competition. As a matter of fact, the last time he had seen Gai was quite some time ago. The boisterous Eternal Rival of Kakashi's had taken his precious, youthful team on a long mission outside the Land of Fire. Gai was gone, and had been, so why…?

_Gone_. That word stirred something in the depths of Kakashi's mind. Something else was gone, something important, and the fact niggled at his mind like a steady stream against a large boulder. _Gone._ But what?

Perhaps he should have been asking what wasn't gone. It was certainly an easier question to answer. His teammates, for one - well, no, Asuma had been killed, hadn't he? Well, then, there was his squad - no, Sasuke had fled from the village, and Naruto and Sakura had moved on to better teachers. His home, then - but he had only ever thought of Sakumo, Rin, Obito, and Minato-sensei as his home, outside the Leaf Village, at least.

Wait, the Leaf Village?

Konoha… _gone_...

Pain flared in his skull, pounding like a flurry of fists. The stream against the boulder of his memory became a waterfall, raging, pushing, and his forgetfulness seemed just about to give.

Konoha, gone, pain. Gone. Pain. Konoha. Pain. Pain. _Pein_.

The waterfall shattered the boulder into thousands of pieces. Memory rushed back to him. Gai, gone on a mission. Pein, attacking the village, destroying it. The Akamichi boy, sprinting to Tsunade. A Pein's last attack. His Kamui. Chakra that he didn't have draining his very life energy. A blue, blue sky - and then a campfire. Sakumo. _Father_.

Nothing seemed to make sense. He had certainly died. The conversation with his father was still fresh in his mind, and dying was not something simply forgotten.

So, the question begged to be answered: how the hell was he conscious?

Well, only one way to find out.

Kakashi squinted one eye open and immediately mourned the action. His skull throbbed more insistently, especially behind his left eye, and he could only assume its cause was his abuse of the Kamui Sharingan. Taking a deep breath, he forced his eye open again to assess his surroundings.

He found himself in a small room that he didn't recognize, on a standard bed that seemed lacking any personality. Slowly, the Jonin eased himself up into a sitting position. As soon as he sat up, searing pain flooded him unexpectedly, forcing him to stop and grip onto the edges of the bed, entirely blinded as he withheld through the torrent of pain rattling around in his skull. Very slowly, that pain began to ebb away. Eventually, after long, agonizing minutes, the hammering in his mind and muscles began to fade to the background, to a more manageable throbbing. With his wits finally about him, Kakashi focused on taking in more information. The room he awoke in was sparsely decorated, holding little more than bare necessities, well-kept but infrequently used. When he tried to stretch out his chakra, he could not sense any nearby chakra signatures in the nearby area, and so assumed that he was alone in the apartment. Perhaps he was in a spare part of a complex? But, what part of the Village hadn't been destroyed since Pein's attack?

Carefully, the Hatake slipped off the bed, feet silently hitting the floor. Only then did he seem to register that something was quite wrong. Everything's proportioning was off, as if he had shrunk a foot or so since his last time conscious. That couldn't be right. No matter what odd thing had happened that must have brought him back from death, or perhaps the brink of death, it shouldn't have changed his physique. Curiously, Kakashi finally took a look at his hands, and they were _small_. No longer were they the hands of a man, but of a child. His body looked similarly, and he was even dressed in the outfit he used to parade around in when he was pushing thirteen.

A chill ran down his spine, and goosebumps prickled along his arms. Surely he was dreaming again, and within seconds he would find himself at Obito's tomb, as an avenger, and moments after that, at Rin's demise, as a murderer. Then, if the pain from Rin's death was not enough to awaken him, he would be lucky enough to dream until he saw Minato-sensei's face once more, hours before his death, while the ANBU Hound strolled around the village as a useless tool when he was needed most.

But, then, when had he ever been aware that he was dreaming?

His dreams often raged violently and terribly, but rarely did he make active choices in them. He only lived through them, over and over, blind to the cycle of destruction he was causing himself until he woke with a dying name on his lips and chakra flaring dangerously enough to summon alarmed ANBU to his home.

Bile rose in his throat as his mind whirled, searching desperately for answers, but it could come up with none. He wondered if he was going to throw up, even though he couldn't recall the last time he had eaten anything. Kakashi stumbled his way to the bathroom for precautious' sake and froze when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The world seemed to tip on its side. Hesitantly, his trembling hand rose to his face, touching the soft, smooth, unscarred skin of his left eye. Two bleak, frightened eyes of matching color stared back at him in the mirror. His hair was pulled down between his hitai-ate in the way that might have been considered baby bangs. His body was so, so small.

_I must have finally lost my mind_, he thought faintly. No jutsu existed for time-travelling. He knew this. He had dug through the secret archives more times than he could count during his time as ANBU, and not even a forbidden jutsu could manage this. Not to mention, he didn't have the chakra reserves for this theoretical jutsu. If he had somehow stumbled across a technique this powerful, using it would have killed him, he was sure.

Though, he had already died at the hands of Pein. Was it possible he had messed with the time-space continuum, by distorting it before dying immediately after? Rin and Obito were the last things on his mind before he faded out, and, if he could dare assume he had somehow ended up in his past, it would make sense - as little sense as it could make - that he landed in the short period he had them as more than memories.

Kakashi had too many questions and no answers whatsoever. Gripping onto the sink, he took in deep, steadying breaths, and reigned himself in like the shinobi that he was. This… _ordeal_ would not break him. Whether he was in a coma-induced nightmare or hell itself, he would fight to return to his home, to Konoha. Even if she had been burned to the ground, he had family that needed him. The village needed him. Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei… They were dead. He had come to terms with this long ago. He had to get back to those who were still alive. Steeling his resolve, Kakashi turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom.

The apartment was familiar to him now that he had begun to piece together this puzzle. It was his first apartment. He had fled here after his father's suicide, having been unable to reside in the Hatake Compound, where disgrace polluted the air.

Kakashi wondered, if he, somehow - theoretically, of course - was in the past again, was his father - _theoretically _\- still waiting in the afterlife, unable to move on?

He forced the thought from his mind to deal with later. He had more pressing matters to attend to, such as the exact date. Standing in the center of his little bedroom, Kakashi bit his thumb and called, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!" A puff of smoke billowed up from the floor, and the Hatake waited patiently for it to dissipate. His beloved pug Pakkun stood, looking bored and unfazed.

"What is it, Boss?" The dog gruffed.

"Pakkun, report," he ordered, trying to sound as nonchalant as he always was, despite the terror trying to claw its way up his throat.

"Report?" The pug stared curiously at him. "There's nothing to report."

Kakashi squatted, arms resting on his knees, to be more eye-level with his ninken. "Tell me about today," he encouraged. "What's it like outside?"

For a moment, it didn't seem as if Pakkun was going to respond and only stare at him quizzically. Kakashi was beginning to wonder if the pug was growing too much like him when Pakkun harrumphed, giving in. "You could go out and check for yourself," he muttered. "Warm, I guess. It's spring. Aren't you supposed to be at training with your team?"

Ah, he supposed he was. But how to tell his sweet, wrinkly ninken that, if he saw Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei, alive and happy and _normal_, he might just faint? Or pour half-formed apologies and nonsensical begs for forgiveness from his mouth? What about that he may or may not be from the future? Instead, he opted for, "Maa, it's fine. I have a reasonable excuse." He scratched behind Pakkun's ear, both to soothe the canine and soothe himself. "That's all. Thank you, Pakkun."

"No problem, Boss." Pakkun eyed him warily for another long moment before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sighing, Kakashi stood. Assuming he was a Chunin, and that it was springtime, he had roughly four to seven months before the Kannabi Bridge mission - before everything went to hell. The Hatake softly cursed and sat down on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands, not yet stained by the blood of his comrades. Was this truly his reality now? Or was it some terrible, twisted, other dimension that resulted from the Kamui and the thought of his late comrades as he died? He needed answers, but first he needed to process, to plan. Not to mention that he felt as if he could sleep until the moon rose, if the ever-persistent, dull throbbing behind his eye and the ache throughout his body was anything to go by.

He was definitely not going to training today. Forget keeping up appearances. He can tell his team that he came down with a sickness. For the teenaged Kakashi to miss training, after all, he must be half-dead, and hopefully that would be enough to stave off Rin and Minato-sensei for a few days while he got his bearings.

Yes, that seemed like a good enough excuse. It would have to do. For now, he was going to sleep, and maybe, when he woke, this nightmare would be over. He would open his eyes to his precious students keeping vigil at his hospital bedside, and then he would listen to at least three different lectures from Sakura and Tsunade about chakra exhaustion, and Gai would weep with joy for his Eternal Rival. As much of a pain as it was to withstand the Hokage's - and his former student's - rage, and Gai's youthful tears, and Naruto's loud excitement, right now he would give just about anything to see them.

A soft knocking interrupted his thoughts. Kakashi started, jumping to his feet. Had he been that absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't sensed another chakra signature approaching?

His stomach dropped to his feet when he _recognized_ the signature - one that he had not felt in years, decades. Instinctively, he squashed his own chakra to nothing, although he was sure it was pointless. No one on his team was that dense, to be ignorant of a chakra signature disappearing completely when it had clearly been there moments before, but he had to try. To _hope_.

The knocking stopped, and Kakashi held his breath. _Please_, he thought, _not now (not ever). Go away._

The chakra signature slowly withdrew. After eternally long seconds, Kakashi allowed himself to breathe. That had been close. Too close. He needed- He needed to-

A soft breeze blew through his apartment. He whirled around, reaching for a kunai that he didn't have. The windows were still closed, locked, and trapped, and yet his sensei did not become the Yondaime for no reason. Feeling as if his throat were going to close up on him, Kakashi stared up into the spitting image of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Kakashi," Minato greeted, worry clear and unabashed on his face and in his voice. "Did you forget about training today? That's not like you. Is… is everything alright?"

_Oh, Sensei_, Kakashi thought faintly, _I can't remember the last time anything has ever been alright._


	2. Chapter 2

Unlike what he'd thought originally, Kakashi didn't have to worry much about spilling apologies from his lips the first time he laid eyes on Minato-sensei. Nor did he have to concern himself with clutching onto the man like a forlorn child, clinging tight and never letting go. No, it seemed that instinct was ingrained too deeply into his bones for any of the melodramatic scenarios that he had daydreamed of, back when he still allowed his mind to wander to such useless endeavors (more for the sake of keeping him sane than anything else).

Kakashi instantly dropped to one knee, head bowed low. His lips began to form the words _Hokage-sama_, but they never got the chance. Dizziness rushed through him, and the irritating throbbing behind his left eye surged to life with a new anger, pounding at his skull. His left hand gripped the side of face that felt aflame, his body going rigid with tension, but he managed not to utter a sound at his discomfort.

Luckily - if Kakashi could count it as luck - the wave of pain smoothly covered his ANBU instincts. Unluckily, it also brought his very concerned, very _alive_ sensei inches from his face. "Kakashi?" Minato questioned, hands hovering near Kakashi's shoulders, ready to steady him if needed while also giving the Chunin as much personal space as he could. "Kakashi, what's wrong?"

"My apologies, Sensei," Kakashi managed, slowly getting his bearings around him once more. He weakly tried to open his left eye, hesitantly pulling his hand an inch away, testing the pain level. Although it was still near unbearable, it was fading steadily. He set his hand on the ground and locked eyes with the to-be Yondaime Hokage. "I-"

Before he could get out another word, Minato was placing a hand on his forehead, checking for fever. "Are you sick?" The man questioned. Kakashi had nearly forgotten how much of a mother hen his sensei could be, when his precious people were in need. "Your chakra levels are low. Were you training by yourself again?"

Kakashi gently pushed Minato's hand away, and the Namikaze allowed it. He didn't think his mental state could handle everything that had happened within the past twenty-four hours, and his sensei's concerned touch was pushing the line too far. "You could say that," he replied, slowly easing himself back up to his feet. Minato mimicked his movements, although he didn't quite give Kakashi the personal space that he would have liked. "I've been… feeling ill today," he continued, staring off somewhere to the side. Instinct mingled with leftover pain kept his left eye closed. "I would have told you that I didn't think I could have made it to training today, but I only woke up a few minutes ago." It wasn't technically a lie. If anything, Kakashi thought he was being quite honest.

One look at his sensei's face had him wondering if honesty was the best way to go about it. Minato stared at him with thinly disguised worry, and his sensei glanced at his closed left eye more than once, but considering Kakashi felt as if he was looking at and speaking to a ghost, he figured he must not look too well off either. For the umpteenth time, he was thankful for his mask to hide whatever expression might have slipped. His chakra was also carefully monitored, as to not give away his distress that he was trying, with great difficulty, to keep a lid on.

The Namikaze seemed to be searching for the right words to say. Kakashi's stomach twisted itself in knots as the silence dragged on, but he did not break Minato's stare. He had always been a stubborn brat and had to at least try to keep himself acting somewhat normal. Finally, his sensei broke the silence. "You'll go to the hospital if you don't get better soon?" Minato asked, although Kakashi knew it to be an order. He nodded, even though his sensei knew as well as anybody that Kakashi had a particular loathing for the hospital. "You can be dismissed from training for today, then. Let me know if you're not feeling like yourself by tomorrow."

"Yes, Sensei. Is that all?"

Minato frowned but did not question his impatience. "Yes. Get some rest... That's an order, Kakashi," he added as an afterthought. With how lousy he was feeling, Kakashi knew the order was unnecessary. Minato, however, did not. It just went to show how much his teacher cared for his well being.

"Yes, Sensei."

His sensei nodded, temporarily satisfied, and _shunshined_ from the room. As soon as he was gone, Kakashi let out a tremendous, trembling sigh and collapsed on his bed. His reeling mind didn't have the chance to keep him awake and worrying before he was soundly asleep.

_**へのへのもへじ**_

"_Kakashi!" Came a familiar cry. The cave was collapsing around them, and he knew that Iwa-nin were lurking nearby, ready to end their lives. Kakashi watched, in horrifying slow motion, as Obito whirled around, intent to throw him from the path of the inevitable boulder barreling towards him. He couldn't let that happen, not again. Finding strength he didn't know he had, Kakashi released a blast of pure chakra, lighting flickering dangerously from his palm, forcing Obito to stay back. His teammate watched in horror as the boulder impacted, crushing Kakashi almost wholly. Blearily, as pain and chakra exhaustion consumed him, he could only smile, relieved that his teammate was safe._

_He opened his eyes again, and still, he couldn't move. Chakra exhaustion burned through his nervous system, tempting him to slip back into unconsciousness, but adrenaline and fear kept him awake. Pein fired his missile, on a collision course with Choji Akimichi, one of the Rookie Nine and carrying S-rank level intelligence for Tsunade. Kakashi's life, in comparison, was meaningless. He was a tool for the Village, and an old shinobi at that. It had been a miracle - or a curse - that he hadn't died yet. Silently, the Hatake asked Naruto for forgiveness, and activated his Kamui. The missile disappeared, and it took with it the last of his energy. Knowing he was facing death, however, did not bother Kakashi as much as it probably should have. Staring at the blue, peaceful sky, he thought of Rin and closed his eyes once more._

"_Ka...ka...shi…"_

_He didn't want to look at her, but this time, his eyes would not close. They were frozen wide in terror and disbelief, watching blood slip from Rin's mouth._

"_Kaka...shi…"_

_The Chidori chirped deafeningly, and yet, nothing was louder than Rin's dying whisper. The hole in her chest gushed blood, coating his hand, his arm, his torso. _No, no, _he moaned, pain erupting through every nerve, tears streaming from his eyes. _I'm sorry, Rin, Obito, forgive me.

"_Kakashi…"_

_He tried to pull his arm free, but it was lodged firmly through Rin's heart. Her face contorted into rage, and her soft whisper grew to a scream._

"_Kakashi! Kakashi! _Kakashi!"

Kakashi shot awake in a panic, gasping for breath and covered in a cold sweat. His hands were trembling, and, for a long moment, he was disoriented. This wasn't his room, or his apartment. Where were his pictures of his team? Or Mr. Ukki? Even his body felt wrong. But then, suddenly, Kakashi remembered where he was. _When _he was.

"Kakashi!"

His eyes widened at the sound of the sweet, sing-song way his name was called. _No… It couldn't be._ Throwing himself from the bed, he rushed to the front door, ignoring the way his skull flared painfully and how he stumbled. Panting, he slowed as the front door came into sight.

"Kakashi, I know you're in there. You didn't show up for training today. Minato-sensei said you weren't feeling well, so I thought I should bring over something for you to eat…"

"Why do you even bother?" Came a loud, familiarly obnoxious voice. Dread rose in Kakashi's chest, threatening to consume him. "You know he's not even going to answer the door."

Unbeknownst to his teammates, the Hatake was only a few feet from the door. He could sense their chakra, weaker than he last remembered it, but still there, strong and steady. The wound in his heart begged him to open the door, to wrap them both in his too-small arms and beg for their forgiveness. Yet, he couldn't find the strength in him to move, paralyzed by fear. The darkness within him too easily reminded him that he was the reason for both of their deaths. If anything, he should push them away. He should push them far, _far_ away, and then maybe then they would be safe from the destruction that he caused everywhere he went.

Obito and Rin were freshly fallen snow, and Kakashi was soaked in their blood, trying to keep it from dripping from his fingers with every breath.

"See?" Obito broke through his thoughts. "I told you he wasn't going to answer."

"Hush!" Rin scolded. Kakashi silently approached the door, using every ounce of restraint that he had finely honed during his decades as a shinobi. "Kakashi, please, talk to us."

His voice came through low and hoarse, like a hiss. "Go away."

Unfortunately, his acknowledgement of their presence only encouraged Rin. "Kakashi!" She exclaimed. The happiness in her voice tore at his soul like savage claws, and everytime she said his name his resolve crumbled a little more. "I brought some miso soup, since I know it's your favorite… It has eggplant, too! I-"

"_Go away_. I don't want to see you."

"Oh. Alright…" Rin trailed off, and Kakashi could hear the dejection in her voice. Of course, if Rin was upset, Obito felt the need to jump to her defense.

"Why do you have to say that, Bakakashi?" Obito shouted. "You're always so mean, and Rin was just trying to do something _nice_ for you-!"

The voices hushed momentarily. Kakashi swallowed, his mouth dry and a lump in his throat. The silence seemed to drag on forever, but it was only a few seconds later that Rin spoke up once more, quiet and yet still so kind. "I'll leave the miso soup here, then. I hope you feel better soon, Kakashi. I really do."

Kakashi could hear Obito's huff and could easily envision the scowl that adorned the Uchiha's face. However, he made no move to open the door or even attempt to appease them, as much as he wanted to apologize for his behavior. They should hate him. They should run as far from him as they could, because he was poison. He didn't deserve their kindness. He deserved exactly what he suffered through every day with the memory of their deaths and the guilt weighing on his shoulders.

The Hatake waited until he could no longer hear their footfalls or sense their chakra before he opened the front door. As Rin had said, miso soup was sitting at his feet, covered neatly in plastic wrap to keep it warm and from spilling. Carefully, as if touching it might cause reality around him to shatter, Kakashi picked up the bowl. Warmth seeped into his hands. For a moment, he merely stood in his doorway, holding a bowl of miso soup with eggplant. Then something clicked, and within seconds, the front door was slammed shut, the miso soup was tucked away in his refrigerator, and Kakashi was escaping out his bedroom window.

His feet carried him far from his little apartment. It was the first time he had left his home since he had woken up in his teenage body, and seeing the Village as it used to be, before the Kyuubi attack, was like another suckerpunch to the gut. He had forgotten how different everything was, how much it all had changed. Running across the rooftops, keeping his chakra tucked close, he wondered what the Village would look like after Pein's attack. It pained him to know he wasn't there to see it, or to help rebuild.

Even the Memorial Stone was not the same. Kakashi didn't have to read any of the names to know that simple fact, even as he stood in front of it and his eyes scanned the names. He had memorized them all long ago and sometimes pondered their stories. Did they die like Obito did, saving a teammate who was worse than trash? Or did they die like Rin did? Or Minato? He had never learned their stories, but he hoped that Obito gave them good company, at least. But, now, all those people were still alive. They could still be saved.

Kakashi took a step forward, fingers tentatively reaching out to brush the stone. It greedily sucked the warmth from his fingers, but he didn't mind. He traced the empty spot where Uchiha Obito used to be written, and his resolve hardened. _Not again_, he thought. _Never again. No matter what it takes. _

He stood until the sun sank and rose again, the coming dawn breaking over the horizon a cue that he should get going now. His joints were stiff and achy, painful from having stood so still for so long. He hadn't moved much at all, if only to look elsewhere when the guilt grew too much or he needed to shift his weight from one foot to the other. With a sigh, Kakashi stepped back from the Memorial Stone and stretched, hearing the satisfying sound of his popping bones. Soon he would need to head to the training grounds. His chakra was still too low for his liking, steadily replenishing but taking its sweet time, and his left eye was still closed and occasionally pulsed with pain, but he couldn't hide from his team forever. And he didn't even have his beloved _Icha Icha_ to hide behind, since Jiraiya wouldn't be publishing it for a few years now.

Sighing, Kakashi gave one last glance at the Memorial Stone. Then, he _shunshined _back to his apartment to get ready. Five minutes later, he was sitting on a tree branch overlooking their designated training area and waiting to relive his nightmares.

_Never again._ _No matter what it takes._


	3. Chapter 3

Considering he was waiting for his team since dawn and they didn't meet until mid-morning, Kakashi had time to think and mentally prepare. He didn't dare attempt to predict how he might react, seeing all of them together again. So long as he didn't flee on sight or call Minato-sensei "Hokage-sama" again, he didn't think their reunion would go too poorly. He had a lot more practice keeping his emotions bottled up, and he had already been incredibly skilled at feigning apathy when he was this age. Additionally, besides his sick day yesterday, his teammates saw today as just another day. If only they knew how different everything was.

However, what he was more concerned about was their training. Although his chakra reserves were still low, Kakashi had noticed that his well of reserves was significantly larger than they had been when he was actually thirteen. It wasn't quite on par with when he was fighting Pein, but it was nothing to laugh at, either. At thirteen, he had been able to use the Chidori comfortably two or three times a day while leaving room for other jutsu. Now, he estimated he could use the Chidori about five times daily, while also leaving enough to spare for the other jutsu he had in his arsenal. Although, _that _was another issue entirely. He no longer had Obito's Sharingan, but he still remembered his copied jutsu and would have to use them sparingly. His teammates and sensei would notice if he revealed how much he knew.

Obito's Sharingan… Yet a third problem. Kakashi touched the cool metal of his hitai-ate, pulled down over his left eye. It was habit more than need this time. There was no drain on his chakra without the Sharingan, which had been the only reason he kept it covered. But he'd grown so accustomed to the leather over his eye that having both eyes readily available was off balancing. To open his left eye in a battle situation was in direct relationship to a flare in his killing intent. As much as he could try to reign it in, he couldn't suppress it entirely. Minato-sensei especially would notice. For now, he would just have to keep his eye closed. He had a temporary excuse, but he would need to come up with a better reason soon, or learn how to function with two eyes once again. Kakashi didn't need to think on that too long to know that the latter option wasn't really an option. He had been operating on mostly one eye for over half his life. That habit was one too cemented to break.

For today, at least, Kakashi didn't need to worry about his eye or his chakra levels. He would focus on keeping his emotions in check and his true skill level hidden. All there was left to do now was wait.

Kakashi closed his eyes and leaned against the trunk of the tree, letting one leg dangle from his branch. He dozed for a couple hours until he felt a familiar chakra signature approaching. Minato-sensei, he identified easily, choosing not to move from his perch.

"Kakashi?" His sensei walked beneath the tree, staring up into the branches. Silently, Kakashi mused that, even though his chakra was low and his presence wasn't obvious, he should have expected his sensei to easily detect him. Much better than his Genin team, back when he first became their sensei. "I wasn't expecting you here so early. Are you feeling better?"

The teen cracked open his right eye, peering down at the Namikaze. "Good morning, Sensei," he drawled, not moving from his comfortable position. "I'm well enough to train."

"Your eye," Minato commented. Kakashi didn't need to be looking at him to know he was concerned. It leaked into his voice and his chakra. "Why is it covered up?"

"Ah, well, it's been bothering me," he replied. "Acting up yesterday. So I decided to cover it."

"That blind spot will give you some trouble during training."

"Maa… I don't think it will really be a problem." Kakashi's single, visible eye crinkled up in the smile that he used after he had been dismissed from the ANBU Black Ops. Perhaps falling on his old habits was the wrong move, because Minato was staring oddly at him. However, his sensei decided not to press that particular issue.

Minato told him, "Your chakra's still low, Kakashi. Are you sure⎼?"

Kakashi waved his concerned sensei off. "Yes, Sensei. I know my own abilities." He carefully didn't mention that he had been awake for over twelve hours. During his time in ANBU, he had been awake, on high alert no less, for much longer. In this period of his life, however, the most difficult mission he had taken was a lousy B-rank. Minato didn't know he had the ability.

Briefly, Kakashi wondered if he still had the ability. His body was small, comparatively weak and untrained. He would have to work his way back up to his regular training regime. Most likely, his current body wasn't able to withstand his skill level. He frowned at the idea of it. It took many years to hone his body and chakra level to that of a decade-old ANBU veteran and Jonin worthy of the Bingo Book, and he was loathe to start the process over from scratch.

To make matters worse, Kakashi knew he shouldn't be thirteen, but that was a problem he was reluctant to even broach. Being thirteen should mean that he was a Jonin, and if he was a Jonin, Obito should be dead. But it was springtime, and his birthday wasn't until September. Unless the Kamui had distorted the timeline more than Kakashi originally anticipated, he should be twelve. But he knew his body well, and he made leaps and bounds of progress in a single year, especially around this age. His body was nearly ready for ANBU, but that didn't correlate with the timeline _at all. _If he was analyzing this correctly, he was a year off.

Comparing and contrasting dates was taking a toll on Kakashi's mind. He needed solid answers, and who better than his Sensei, leaning against the foot of the tree, waiting for the rest of their team?

"Sensei," Kakashi said, and Minato acknowledged it. He continued, "Do you remember how old I am?"

At that, the Namikaze lifted his head to stare at the Hatake in a tree. "Do I remember how⎼ Kakashi, are you _sure_ you're feeling well enough to train?"

"Yes, Sensei. I'm only testing your memory. Do you?"

"Of course," Minato said. Kakashi forced the rising anticipation down, appearing calm and aloof as he waited for the answer. "You're twelve."

Twelve? That couldn't be right. Kakashi looked down at his hands and thought that _definitely_ couldn't be right. "I could've sworn I was thirteen," he mused to himself. To Minato, he asked, "And my rank?"

"Chunin... Kakashi⎼"

"Oh, look. Rin's here."

Thankfully, the arrival of another team member was enough to throw his sensei off his trail, for now, at least. Kakashi watched Nohara Rin walk up to their sensei, and pain blossomed in an old, familiar wound. She smiled kindly at Minato. "Is Kakashi not here yet?" She asked. In response, Minato graced her smile with his own and pointed upwards. Rin's eyes followed the direction of her sensei's motion, and when she noticed Kakashi sitting in the tree, she turned her dazzling, innocent expression to him. Fresh pain welled up inside him, and he looked away without greeting her.

Rin asked about his eye, but Kakashi only gave her what he had told Minato-sensei. He didn't see the two of them exchange worried glances, but, thankfully, the two of them soon began in some trivial discussion about Kushina ⎼ Minato was always more than willing to gush about his girlfriend ⎼ as they waited for Obito. Kakashi didn't mind in the slightest. Waiting for the Uchiha gave him more time to think on his current situation.

At thirteen, he had been a Jonin and quite soon after that he was gifted Obito's Sharingan. Did that explain the pounding in his head, that refused to leave him alone? Was his body remembering a bloodline that he didn't have? He also couldn't grasp why he was, by date, twelve, but by physique, thirteen. Why would the Kamui send him into the wrong body for the particular period he was in? Why would he have more chakra than he did at either twelve or thirteen? Why would the Kamui send him back in time _at all?_

Kakashi scrubbed at his visible eye, sighing softly. He didn't know enough about the Sharingan and its capabilities, that was certain. The ideal person to ask would be a Uchiha, but Itachi was still too young to be but a babe, and the Uchiha weren't exactly on friendly terms with the rest of the Konoha shinobi. That only left…

"Sorry I'm late!"

Speak of the devil.

Kakashi turned his head to watch as Uchiha Obito hurried into the clearing, stumbled, and barely managed to catch himself. The boyish grin stretched across his face as he readjusted those damn goggles of his. As his teammate launched into an explanation of why he was late ⎼ something to do with old ladies, cats, and groceries ⎼ Kakashi thought back to a time when those goggles rested above a newly engraved name on the Memorial Stone. He gritted his teeth and swore it would never happen again, not so long as he was breathing.

"Uh, Kakashi?"

The Hatake blinked, realizing he was being spoken to. He shoved his thoughts and emotions into a tiny box, locked it, and hid it away in the corner of his mind. "Yes?" He drawled, looking to Obito and appearing his apathetic self.

Obito flustered at being addressed, or perhaps it had to do with what he had to say. "Are you not, uh, gonna rant at me or anything?"

Kakashi briefly wondered if he was that much of a brat when he was younger. Thinking back to his father, trapped in the afterlife for almost three decades, he concluded that he was and that Obito's reaction was justified. He jumped down from the tree branch, landing beside his teammates. "I'll let you off the hook today," he said dryly. "I missed training yesterday, after all."

The Uchiha was not at all secretive when he stared at Kakashi's covered eye. "Does it, uh, does it have anything to do with your eye?"

Kakashi chose not to grace that with a response. He didn't like repeating himself, after all, and he'd already explained it to Minato and Rin. Instead of acknowledging Obito any further, he turned to Minato. "Can we begin training now, Sensei? We've waited long enough." He ignored Obito's spluttering in the background while Minato nodded, clapping his hands together.

"Very well!" His sensei began. "Today we're going to be working on ninjutsu. First, I have something for all of you." Minato handed out litmus paper, and Kakashi took one with a bored look in his eye. Obito and Rin, on the other hand, were quite excited. Briefly, Kakashi thought back to his own students, and his heart panged mournfully. Oblivious to his genius student's turmoil, their sensei continued, "Now, does anyone know what this is?"

Rin answered excitedly. "It's chakra induction paper! It'll tell us our affinity towards the five elemental chakra natures."

Minato smiled, nodding pleasantly. "Good job, Rin. You're absolutely correct. This paper is special. When you put even a little bit of your chakra into it, it'll react in a particular way, revealing your chakra nature." He held one paper between two fingers. Obito and Rin waited with bated breath; Kakashi wished he was elsewhere. Minato's paper cleanly split in two.

"Now," Minato continued, "what does this mean my chakra nature is?"

"Wind," Rin answered again, and she was given another nod.

"Good, Rin. Now I want the three of you to exert chakra into these papers, one at a time. Obito, you first."

It was common knowledge that the Uchiha clan was of a fire nature, but Kakashi didn't want to rain on his teammate's parade when Obito's paper lit and burned to a crisp. Rin was next. Kakashi forced himself not to cringe when her paper crumbled into dust. _(Earth was weak to lightning.)_ He already knew his own chakra nature, but he let the paper wrinkle around his fingers anyway, and Minato was content.

"Now that we all know our chakra natures, can anyone tell me their strengths and weaknesses?"

Again, Rin piped up to Minato's question. "The chakra wheel goes Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water. The preceding chakra nature is its weakness. The following chakra nature is what it's strong against. For example, Fire is weak against Water, but strong against Wind."

Minato spoke again, but by this time Kakashi grew tired of the teachings he knew by heart and zoned out, mostly. He half-focused on his immediate surroundings and half-listened to Minato's lengthy explanations, complete with Obito's oblivious questions and Rin's gentle explanations. It reminded him of himself, in the future, explaining concepts to his own Genin team. As much as he missed his companions, Kakashi genuinely thought that he could listen to Team Minato chatter away until the sun sank.

Truth be told, Kakashi had known he had missed his teammates. He had worried about how he would react when he was reunited with his team. Never did he imagine that he would feel so _right_. It was as if he had returned home after a long time away. Well, Kakashi supposed, he _had _returned home, after being gone for almost two decades. Surely he had the right to bask.

"Kakashi?" Rin's voice drew him from his thoughts. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Hm?" He responded, carefully ignoring the worried glances his teammates shared. Even Obito looked mildly concerned. Kakashi supposed he wasn't acting very much his twelve-year-old self, but he wasn't twelve. He was thirty. To borrow the Nara catchphrase, it was troublesome to pretend to be twelve again. (Truthfully, the thought disturbed him a bit. If Naruto ever found out, he would become equal to Jiraiya in perv status.)

"Minato-sensei thought we should work on our ninjutsu. I wanted to check your eye before we got started."

"Mm. If you want."

Rin approached. Obito lingered by Minato. His sensei looked the most worried, but Kakashi didn't want to tell him again that he was fine. Instead, he would let Rin's medical examinations prove it to his team.

"Lift your headband, please," she said. Kakashi obliged. He used his left hand in the familiar action of pulling up his headband, revealing his left eye ⎼

_Pain exploded behind his forehead. Chakra overwhelmed his eyes, bringing one into blindness and the other into more than perfect clarity. Kakashi made a choked, pained sound that he didn't recognize from his own vocal cords. The agony was overwhelming._

⎼ and promptly passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Kakashi knew he was in the hospital before he was even fully conscious. The sterile scent and quiet but persistent hum of the overhead lights were enough to cue him in. He wondered what he was in for this time, and then remembered – chakra exhaustion. Although he had been sure he had died when fighting Pein, Tsunade was a miracle worker. Perhaps his discussion with Sakumo had been a dream.

Now was not the time to think on that, however. There was another chakra signature in the room with him, and it was familiar enough to drag him from the sleepy, dark corners of his mind and into reality, if only however briefly.

Kakashi cracked open an eye. The fuzzy hospital light was much too bright, and his eye closed again instinctively, while he released the softest sigh. As he waited to completely wake up, he decided to tally his injuries. Considering how much chakra he had used up, he didn't feel all that terrible. He still felt bad, yes, but not as bad off as he might have been expecting, surviving death's grasp once more.

"Kakashi?"

In response, the Hatake mustered up his energy and squinted open his right eye once more. A blurry yellow figure leaned over his hospital bed, blocking the too-bright lights, and for that he was thankful. He couldn't quite make out the details of the blond's face, but he didn't need to. He could recognize his own student (although, he was half-expecting Maito Gai to be the one to greet him first. No doubt the boisterous man was asked to leave so he could get some rest).

"Good morning, Naruto," he rasped. His voice didn't sound quite right, but he chalked it up to underuse. Who knew how long he had been out, after the fight he had with the Peins? He wondered how the Village was doing in the aftermath. Leave it to the Number One Knucklehead Ninja to save the day. He couldn't be more proud of his student.

"Naruto?" Naruto repeated, and Kakashi wondered why he was saying his own name. "Kakashi, it's me. Can you see me alright? The nurse said you did a number on your eyes, but you should be okay. Why were you channeling that much chakra to them to begin with?"

"Maa, it was necessary, at the time. Pein was going to… Well." He cleared his throat. Something was wrong with it, and it didn't sound like the deep timber of his voice when he was parched. If anything, it was higher-pitched.

"Pain? Kakashi, why didn't you tell me you were in that much pain?"

Something was definitely wrong, but his body was too exhausted to put a finger on it. "Ah, well, you see…" He began, as his eye slipped closed. The rest of his answer was mumbled, and within moments the Copy Nin was asleep again, dragged under by painkillers and exhaustion.

Namikaze Minato frowned at his young, slumbering student. He stared at the Hatake boy, as if his covered face would give him any answers, but after a long moment he realized the fruitlessness of it. Sighing, he flopped down into the plastic chair and snagged Kakashi's chart from the bedside table, scanning it over for the umpteenth time since his student had collapsed at the training grounds yesterday. Kakashi's body showed enough damage to his chakra system to have killed a grown man, and the crux of it centered at his left eye. The report also suggested that his body was overcompensating for that same left eye, channeling much more chakra than should have been needed, which explained the pain his student had no doubt been in – and perhaps still was. The results were migraines and temporary vision loss, and an unnecessary drain on his chakra. Other scribblings noted medical terms and observations that Minato couldn't begin to understand.

The Jonin sensei sighed, setting the clipboard back down. He supposed he had answers, but he didn't have an explanation. How did Kakashi sustain such damage to his chakra network? Minato would have known if Kakashi ended up in the hospital on _the brink of death_, but he also knew his genius student was smarter than to push himself that far in personal training. He could only assume that the somehow brand-new but entirely-healed scars on his chakra system were born of necessity, but that led him nowhere. In no situation did Kakashi need to push his body past its limit. Not to mention that the boy was a Chunin, and, from what he gathered from the nurses and doctor, Kakashi was harboring S-rank worthy injuries. The Hatake was a prodigy, that much was true, but he wasn't that strong. Facing any S-rank ninja in a life or death battle would have killed the boy, and Kakashi was clearly alive, if not worse for wear. Although, according to the medic's reports, Kakashi should definitely _not be alive_. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, there was also the problem of Kakashi's left eye.

Minato solemnly watched his student sleeping peacefully. Kakashi had been fine three days ago – his moody, apathetic, rule-adoring self. Then, two days ago, he suddenly came down with a sickness and missed training altogether. Yesterday he actually collapsed, and that was only after he was acting strangely. Kakashi was always aloof, keeping everyone at an arm's length after Sakumo's death, but the Kakashi he saw yesterday was not the Kakashi he knew. His precious student looked exhausted, mentally and physically, as if he had lived through lifetimes' worth of sorrow. Yes, this Genin team was gearing up for war, and Sakumo's death was tragic, but it didn't add up to the kind of pain that he glimpsed. _Nothing_ added up. Why did his body have such extensive chakra damage? Where did he get the habit of channeling chakra to his left eye? Who was this new Hatake Kakashi?

Minato scrubbed at his eyes, sighing. There was no use turning these thoughts over in his mind endlessly. He would simply have to ask the boy outright, when he woke up – assuming Kakashi recognized him for _him_, and not this Naruto. Standing up, Minato stole one last, long glance at his sleeping student before he left, turning off the lights and shutting the door quietly behind him. He would tell Obito and Rin that they could visit Kakashi tomorrow if they liked. For now, he needed to get home and have a long talk with Kushina.

The Namikaze left the hospital. As soon as his spike of blond hair disappeared from the hospital's view, the window of Kakashi's darkened hospital room opened. A lone, small figure slipped out and disappeared into the night.

**へのへのもへじ**

Kakashi didn't know where to go. His thoughts were thick and sluggish from pain medication, but at the very least his brain wasn't trying to explode from his skull. His memory was jumbled, and trying to pick his memories apart and sort through them was proving to be impossible. He had thought that he'd seen Naruto at his hospital room, but had it been Minato? Hadn't Minato died years ago? Hadn't he himself died?

Nothing was the same – the Village, the Memorial Stone, his team, his own apartment. He needed a dash of familiarity, just to get his thoughts in order. He needed to not be found.

There was only one real option.

The Hatake compound looked as it used to. Old and rickety, the building boasted of a proud clan long dead. Graffiti marred the front doors, disgracing Sakumo even after his _(cowardly, a voice said)_ honorable death. In his own timeline, Kakashi had gone back eventually to clean and restore it to something of its former glory, but that was long after Minato's death. At this time, the building looked haunted and pitiful.

But it was home.

Kakashi slid open the doors and instinctually left his sandals by the door. Ghosts of the past embraced him as he walked inside, flickers of memories of happier times, when he was a happy child with at least one parent, but those thoughts quickly faded as his eye adjusted to the gloom. The darkness that surrounded and consumed this building was thicker than fog. No moonlight reached this place. The windows were boarded and covered, every door closed. Maybe it was a hallucination, but Kakashi thought he could smell old, dried blood from the room that had taken him most of his life to enter – and his father's life.

Again, Kakashi wondered if Sakumo's spirit was unable to find rest. He had forgiven his father, but did that transfer to his timeline? Was the White Fang still trapped on the border of the afterlife?

Kakashi sank to the dusty floor in the open space, knees finding solace in an old pillow before a low table. The thought of his family home in such disrepair filled him with anger. His father deserved better than this shabby shrine to the past. He needed to clean it. He needed not to be alone.

A little blood and a large swell of smoke later, eight ninken sat at his feet: Pakkun, Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei, and Guruko. The canines seemed ready for battle, and Kakashi hazily reflected that he had rarely called upon them for anything more when he was at this age. Only when he was at his lowest did he call them for company, and even rarer did he summon all eight. The ninken very quickly realized, however, that they were not in a battle – and they realized soon after that where, exactly, they were.

Even though he was not the loudest ninken of the bunch, Pakkun was the first to speak up. "Kakashi?" The pug ventured. "Why are we in the Hatake compound?"

"I wanted to clean it," came the reply. The dogs glanced at each other, and Guruko padded forward to sniff cautiously at his pant leg. A soft whine emitted from her throat, a gentle sound that he rarely ever heard from his ninken. They had the capability to tear his enemies in pieces, and their soft side was reserved for him alone. Even still, his ninken were more prone to teasing chatter rather than such forward concern.

Guruko lifted her head, and he looked into her dark eyes with one of his own. "Are you alright, Kakashi?"

Rather than reply, Kakashi reached out to pet her. The other ninken took this as their signal to all crowd around him. He did his best to pet them all, his mind happily blank all the while. The pain killers were really taking their toll on his ability to stay awake, especially when he was finally at ease with his pack. Somehow, he soon found himself rearranged: laying down against Bull's side, with his ninken strewn about his stretching legs, although Pakkun was settled on his lap. He had never addressed Guruko's question, but Kakashi thought that his dogs hadn't forgotten about it. Even still, he would do his best to avoid any of those questions, as he didn't want to make his precious ninken worry more than they already might be.

Alas, as if sensing that his mind had returned from the darkness, his ninken began to speak.

"Kakashi, why were you at the hospital?" Pakkun asked, his voice a low rumble.

Shiba lifted his head from Kakashi's shin to voice his piece. "And why aren't you still at the hospital?"

Kakashi squinted his eye in an attempt at a reassuring smile. "You know how much I dislike hospitals, Shiba," he answered. "I'm alright."

His answer didn't seem to satisfy any of his ninken. Even Bull growled low in his throat, and the boy sighed, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. None of them needed to speak aloud for Kakashi to know their thoughts: "_You're never alright if you visit this place."_

Because he trusted his ninken, Kakashi tried to elaborate as vaguely as possible. "I needed a familiar place."

The ninja dogs all looked to each other, speaking in that silent way that only they could understand. It seemed they were preparing another question. Pakkun shifted on Kakashi's stomach, his squishy little paws pressing down lightly as he adjusted his positioning. The pug stared up at his boss, eyes squinted. "You've been acting off since the other day," he commented, and Kakashi shrugged in response, letting his eye close. He understood his ninken's concern, but he couldn't tell them what was truly going on. He couldn't tell anyone. This was a burden that he had to bear on his own, even if he had no idea what was going on with the timeline, or his very body.

Pakkun asked, "Does the name Pein mean anything to you?"

Kakashi startled, sitting up suddenly. Some of his ninken whined at being disturbed, but they all quieted quickly, focused on his answer. Kakashi's mouth felt dry.

"How–?" He started, staring at Pakkun with shock. He swallowed, and tried again. "How do you know that name?"

"You remember the future, don't you?"

"I– Y-yes, I do. How could you possibly–"

Pakkun set his paw on Kakashi's chest. There was no force behind it, but Kakashi relaxed into Bull's side nonetheless. The sudden movement had sent a dizzying rush through him, but he hadn't realized it from the pounding of his blood in his ears until he relaxed once more. His ninken also remembered the future? How was that possible?

"I don't have any more answers than you do, Kakashi," Pakkun continued. The other ninken remained silent, save for small sounds and nods of agreement, and let their pack leader speak. "We all felt when our bond was broken. Your chakra was gone, entirely. We knew you died." A few whined softly at that. Kakashi felt another piece of his heart break. He and his ninken were family, pack, bonded through something much stronger than blood. In an attempt to soothe them, or himself, he began petting them all again.

Pakkun continued, laying his head on Kakashi's belly, "We heard that you had been fighting one of the Akatsuki. One of Tsunade's slugs found you." Briefly, Kakashi remembered that time worked differently in the world of summons, and he wondered how long they were without him before he woke up as a twelve- or thirteen-year-old. "The next thing we knew, the bond was back, but different. Then you summoned me, looking like you had just started puberty."

Kakashi scoffed, but let the pug speak. "We all played along, at first, because we weren't sure. But now…" Pakkun looked to the rest of his pack, and they nodded.

"Now we know that you remember, too," Bisuke said. "We think it has something to do with your chakra. It's not the same as when you were this age."

"Yeah," Akino agreed. "It feels more like it used to."

Kakashi nodded, but words were escaping him. The knowledge that he wasn't completely alone in this was more relieving than he could put into words. His ninken were the closest thing that he had to family. When he had come back to this world, he had thought that he'd lost the relationship he had built with them throughout the years. Although he did rely on them when he was a teenager, it wasn't until he was truly, completely alone did his ninken become more precious to him than life itself. More than once they saved him from the darkness inside his own mind, and they knew him better than any human did – even Maito Gai, who was the closest thing to a best friend that he had. Reuniting with Team Minato had felt like coming home, but that home was much like this old Hatake compound – a home that he had long left. His ninken here with him gave him hope again, to continue on for the sake of a better future.

"I don't know what's going on," Kakashi admitted with a hollow laugh. From his vest pocket he pulled his papers from the hospital, while his other hand continued to pet the nearest canine. He scanned the paper, saying, "My chakra network says that I should be dead. I did die, fighting Pein, but I never… I never got to the other side. Instead, I was at a campfire. Father was there, waiting for me."

His ninken shifted, surprised to hear that. "Sakumo?" Uhei asked, and Kakashi nodded.

"We talked, for a long time. He wanted to hear my story, and I told him. I told him everything he missed. By the time I was finished, it felt like… like something was pulling me back. I tried to fight it, but he told me to go, and I did. Then, I woke up in this body, in my old apartment. Minato-sensei found me and asked why I wasn't at training." Another empty huff of a laugh escaped from him. Everything seemed to be catching up to him at once, spilling out now that he had someone to tell. "My eye – my left eye – it's been killing me since I woke up here. At first I thought it was because I burnt it out using the Kamui. The doctors say I'm channeling unneeded chakra towards it, but it's not of my own volition. I haven't been at full chakra since I woke up, either, and it's still draining me."

Akino chimed in again. "You don't have Obito's Sharingan anymore?"

"No," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "It's my eye. Rin – I went to training yesterday. She asked to see it before we got started. When I opened it, I just… passed out. Then I woke up in the hospital. I came here right after."

The ninken were quiet, soaking in the information. Kakashi settled himself further into Bull's warm fur. The warmth of all his beloved pack pressed against him was soothing, grounding. He didn't realize how much he had missed them until this moment, when he could spill his worries into their listening ears, knowing they would always be there to help him, whether he was battling an enemy or his own mind.

"You must have some theories by now, Kakashi," Pakkun prodded. The pug knew him well.

"I do." Kakashi cleared his throat, rolling up the medical sheet and returning it to his vest pocket. His hands then settled back on his dogs, thumbing gently over their soft fur. "Nothing concrete, though. I used the Kamui right before I died. It distorts space, and I thought that it might have distorted time, too. Rin and Obito were the last things I can remember thinking of."

Urushi pointed out, "Space and time are two different things, you know."

"I know, but I don't have anything better."

"Is your eye still bothering you?" Guruko asked, easily changing the subject. Kakashi pondered the question for a moment before giving a small nod. The pain was still there, but faint and faraway. His tiredness was the most noticeable at the moment, and he blamed it on his slow-replenishing chakra.

"The painkillers from the hospital are helping, though," he offered, "but my chakra is still low."

"Sleep, then, you brat," Pakkun grumbled. "We'll talk – and clean – in the morning."

Kakashi knew better than to protest. None of the ninken moved from their spots draped over his legs, or stomach, and he was more than fine to sleep on the floor. He sighed softly, leaning his head back against Bull, and let his eyes close. Surrounded again by his pack, Kakashi drifted off to sleep. He dreamt of home.


	5. Chapter 5

The Hatake compound was clean, inside and out. The graffiti was scrubbed away, the floors were swept, the windows repaired, counters washed. Everything was as it once was.

The process had taken quite a long time, but with his ninken helping him, Kakashi was able to get everything done by late afternoon. He had surprised himself earlier by how easily he entered the room where his father committed seppuku. The flashes of memory were real, but after he'd forgiven his father, they were less painful than ever. And he may have imagined the faint smell of blood, but by the time he had finished cleaning, he could not smell it over the harsh scent of cleaners.

When all was finished, he began preparing a meal in the kitchen with items that his dogs had brought him, since Kakashi was doing all he could to remain at the Hatake compound rather than head back out into the village. Technically, he was supposed to be at the hospital, and he didn't want one of his teammates dragging him back there. No one would think to look for him here, at least not for another day or two.

Kakashi looked to his ninken. They were strewn out on the floor, lazing around after their hard work earlier today. It had certainly felt like a battle with the dirt ingrained into the floorboards.

All things considered, Kakashi felt better than he had yesterday, mentally and physically. To have his ninken around him again took a heavy burden off his mind. A dreamless, full sleep restored some of his chakra, though he still felt drained. His hitai-ate remained pulled down over his left eye, since using that eye seemed to be too much for now, although he was not sure why. It was that eye that was draining his chakra religiously. He could feel the buildup of it, throbbing painfully with every pulse of his heart. The pain was manageable, but what would happen if his chakra continued to be sent to his eye with no outlet? Surely it would blind him. Unfortunately, releasing the chakra seemed to be impossible at the moment. The last time he even opened his left eye he passed out.

In other words, whatever the hell was going on with his chakra was a problem for later.

After Kakashi served the meals to his dogs, he sat down with his own on the plush cushion in the living room, where the low table was. The other cushion adjacent to his own had long been put away in some closet _(he didn't want to look at the empty spot)_.

As he and his ninken ate, they discussed what they had put off last night ⎼ theorizing how, exactly, Kakashi came to be in this particular timeline.

The discussion lasted until the sun sank, their empty dishes long disregarded, to be cleaned later. Finally, they came to a hesitant conclusion after establishing what they knew for fact. They knew the Kamui distorted time and space and that Kakashi used it as he died. His chakra managed to return to the past with him, and somehow his body advanced in age because of it. Most likely because his chakra system had been accustomed to a body with the Sharingan, his current body had changed to meet the standard requirements of his advanced chakra system ⎼ his thirteen-year-old body had a Sharingan.

The only problem was that he _didn't_ have a Sharingan.

Again, whatever the hell was going on with his chakra was a problem for later.

As for time travel, the only theory they could best surmise was that Kakashi's Will of Fire had distorted the Kamui and brought him back, merging his former chakra system with his younger self, thus resulting in the not-quite-right body he currently had. Thus resulting in _whatever the hell was going on with his chakra_.

Kakashi really didn't want to think about it.

The plan of action was, for the time, to prepare his team for what was to come, and to train himself up. They needed to be ready for Kannabi Bridge. What had happened in the past could never happen again. That Kakashi was sure of. In order to do that, their teamwork needed to be solid. In the months to come, he would need to fix his relationship with Obito and establish with Rin that he wasn't someone to be involved with romantically.

He had a lot to do, and so very little time to do it.

**へのへのもへじ**

Minato didn't find him until the next day, and Kakashi had to admit that he was still impressed that his sensei managed to track him down at all. Minato should have thought that the Hatake compound was off-limits to the boy. Maybe that actually was what his sensei thought and the Namikaze had merely ran out of other places to check. After all, Kakashi had technically been missing for two days, now. Not that they had training until tomorrow, but disappearing from the hospital when in critical condition is not often taken lightly. Rin was likely scared half to death. Obito might be a bit worried, even, let alone his mother hen of a sensei.

He had still been asleep when Minato hesitantly approached the compound. Having sensed the chakra, his ninken woke him with nudging noses and quiet murmurs, as to not startle him into battle-ready awakeness. While Kakashi got his bearings about him, his sensei snooped about the cleaned building, both suspicious and worried. Kakashi couldn't blame him.

The child opened the front door just as Minato raised a hand to knock. The Namikaze spluttered briefly, caught off guard, but he quickly composed himself.

"Kakashi," he greeted stiffly.

Kakashi's response was much warmer. He gave his sensei a one-eyed smile, the other covered by his hitai-ate for the time being. "Minato-sensei," he replied. "Would you like to come in?"

Maybe the wrong thing to say, judging by Minato's blatant surprise. But Kakashi had a knack for failure, and the habit was a hard one to break. He stepped aside to allow his sensei into the home, guiding him further inside once he'd respectfully removed his shoes. At the low table, Minato kneeled on the sole cushion. Kakashi would sit on the floor, then. He was loathe to retrieve the spare cushion from its hiding place.

"Tea, Sensei?"

"Um, sure, Kakashi."

As Kakashi prepared the tea, his ninken came strolling out into the room. Another mistake on Kakashi's part, given the surprised expression that was appearing on Minato's face more and more.

He handed his sensei the steaming tea and took a seat across from him with his own glass. The ninken laid nearby, save for Pakkun, who laid pressed again Kakashi's thigh.

"Thank you," Minato started, and Kakashi nodded. "I… wasn't expecting to find you here. I'm still a bit shocked by it, if I'm honest."

"I can't blame you, Sensei. I'm sure I would be shocked too." A wry smile curled on Kakashi's lips, hidden by the mask. The irony was lost on Minato, but not on Pakkun, who snorted. Minato glanced at the pug briefly before returning his piercing blue gaze to Kakashi, who was once again reminded that he would not see Naruto again for some time. He ignored the ache in his chest in favor of the conversation.

"I don't remember you having so many summons, either."

Kakashi shrugged. "Maa… I haven't really needed them in battle. We've managed everything just fine on our own," he lied.

"Still," Minato said, then paused. "Eight is a lot. Especially all at once."

The Hatake had no response to that. He raised an eyebrow, but gave no verbal reply. His sensei sighed and let it go, setting his cup down on the table.

"Kakashi, you've been acting strangely these past few days. You're not yourself. What's going on? You know you can talk to me, about anything."

There was the familiar worrying that he had been expecting. Kakashi curled his eye in a smile and said, "Maybe I'm more myself than ever, Sensei."

Frustration briefly wrote itself across the blond's face before it vanished. "You're not. Please, you don't have to pretend around me. I'm only trying to look out for you. First you miss training, and when you do show up you faint as soon as you open your eye. Then you vanish from the hospital, only to reappear at your old home. Not to mention that it looks as if you've seen a lifetime of war! Something happened last week that I'm missing, and I'm just trying to fill in the missing pieces."

Kakashi looked away with a soft sigh. His sensei was so genuine, so caring. It made him want to tell him everything, to spill all his worries and fears onto the Namikaze and beg for help. He missed Minato's advice. But he reminded himself that he couldn't speak a word of his predicament to anyone. This knowledge was for him – and for his ninken – alone. He shouldered it alone. The future was not Minato's burden, not yet.

"Kakashi, please," his sensei tried again. "Give me something to go off of here."

"I've… come to a recent realization," Kakashi said. Minato perked at the new information. Clearly, he hadn't really been expecting his pleas to work, but it was with good graces that he absorbed everything Kakashi was willing to spill. "I don't want to continue down the path that I've set myself on," the Hatake remarked quietly. His lone gray eye bore into Minato's, and the Namikaze had to suppress a shudder. He had never seen his student look so dead inside, as if all emotion and feeling had been sucked into a vacuum.

Kakashi continued, "I want to change, to be better. I'm growing up, Sensei, and maybe it's happening a little fast, but it all… hit me at once, I guess. I don't want to fight with Obito any longer, and I want Rin to stop looking at me like she does. I don't want to act as if I'm better than either of them. In skill, I've got them beat, but when it comes down to what matters…" He trailed off, looked away. Minato waited patiently for Kakashi to work up whatever it was that he needed to look him in the eyes and resume speaking. "I want to fix our teamwork. I want to fix our team. I want to fix, well, me. I guess I'm just not sure how to start."

The both of them were quiet for a long couple minutes. Kakashi pet Pakkun while Minato processed what he had just learned.

"Kakashi," the Namikaze began, "some of your problems I might not be able to help you with, unfortunately. I can't change Obito's or Rin's mind. They're going to see you as they have been, until you prove it differently to them. But I can give you advice."

At this, Kakashi looked up. The look in his eye was a mix of hope and hopelessness, as if he wanted to believe but despair was too familiar to let go of easily. Such a defeated look had Minato's heart swelling with love, and Minato realized just how desperately he wanted to help his student. Kakashi went to him for advice, but it typically pertained to jutsu work. Never did he ask for life advice, and, in this one crucial point in time, when Kakashi for some reason chose to make himself vulnerable, Minato was not going to lead him astray.

"I think the answer is simpler than you believe, Kakashi," Minato continued. "You need to get to know Obito and Rin for who they really are, not for who you've perceived them to be. You look at them ⎼ and at your father ⎼ through the lens of the rulebook and judge them accordingly. But life is more than just rules and regulations. Take Obito, for example."

Minato wrapped his hands around his cup, letting it warm his cool fingers. "He's late just about every day. According to the rulebook, he is a worthless shinobi. But I don't scold him for being late, because I look outside the rulebook. I see a young man doing everything in his power to help those in need, and isn't that what shinobi do? We protect the village. Is Obito carrying an old woman's groceries not doing the same thing? Maybe not in the way you might think, but… To be honest, I almost think his work is more important than mine." He laughed breathily, and Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows. "We protect the village from outside attacks that may never come, from threats that are looming. Obito works to resolve the immediate threats and unhappiness in this place. Without people like him, people like us would have no village to protect."

Kakashi looked down at his tea, thinking. He had never heard this side of the story. He had Obito's side, briefly, before the boy was taken from this world, and then he had the side that he would make up, standing in front of the Memorial Stone. He had never asked his sensei's opinion about their clutsiest member.

"Does that make sense, Kakashi?"

Kakashi gave a small nod in response. Had he the mind of his twelve-year-old self, he would have snarled and said that Obito was looking at him through a bias, too, but Kakashi knew now that Obito only saw what Kakashi presented. Kakashi put forth a cold, shallow form of who he was, and Obito didn't want to look underneath the underneath. Who would? Rin, he supposed, but she was always too kind for her own good.

"So, you're telling me I need to be friends with them," Kakashi drawled, looking up at his sensei.

"You're already friends, Kakashi," Minato responded. "I'm asking you to reevaluate them. They're worth your time, and there's more to them than you know."

From nowhere, defensiveness boiled up and spilled over inside him. These were his comrades! He knew everything about them, inside and out. His thoughts were so often on them over the years. There was nothing that he did not have memorized. "I already know them, Sensei," he replied, fingers tightening on the teacup. "They're my teammates."

Minato offered Kakashi a small smile. "Why does Obito wear those goggles?" He asked. Kakashi's rising anger ground to a screeching halt. "What about Rin's bracelet?"

For that, Kakashi had no answer. He looked away, a blush heating his cheeks. He was thankful for the mask to hide his shame.

His sensei didn't hold an accusing tone, though, only a gentle, kind one. "When you can tell me those, Kakashi, then you'll really know your teammates. And maybe they'll know you a little better, too." Minato stood, then, and Kakashi rose with him, both their cups on the table still. "I'll get going now. I didn't mean to intrude for long. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kakashi nodded, not quite responding. He followed his sensei to the door, holding it open as Minato stepped out into the warm sunlight of Konoha. "Sensei," Kakashi said before Minato walked away. The blond halfway turned, a question in his eyes. Kakashi shifted, uncomfortable with the undivided attention, and mumbled out, "Thank you."

Minato beamed, looking so much like Naruto in that moment that Kakashi wondered which timeline he was actually in. "Anytime, Kakashi. I'll see you at training tomorrow. Also, it might not hurt to get to know your other classmates, while you're at it."

Kakashi raised a hand to wave, and Minato was gone. He closed the door and sighed heavily, leaning against it and sliding to the floor. His ninken pooled around him, making sure he was alright while also wanting to satiate their own curiosity.

"Help me, Pakkun," the Hatake moaned. "This is so much worse than I could have ever imagined."

Pakkun set a paw on Kakashi's chest. "Boss?" He asked. Kakashi held his head in his heads and let out a pitiful wail.

"I need to make _friends! Again!"_


	6. Chapter 6

Kakashi could only hide in the Hatake compound for so long. After Minato took his leave, the boy gathered his wits and took his sensei's advice to heart. He had a very limited view of who Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito actually were. After their deaths, he'd twisted his perceptions of them unconsciously. The same had happened with Namikaze Minato and even Hatake Sakumo, his own father. Unlike Sakumo, though, his teammates were raised high on a pedestal. He needed to remind himself that they were just as human as he. They were better, yes, but they were still people ⎼ kids at that. Kakashi was a Chunin, but Obito and Rin were still Genin. He needed to reel back in his judgement of them and start over with a blank slate. Who, really, were his teammates? How had he been this blind, for so long?

The Hatake sighed and stretched. He needed to get some training in. Lazing around, as delightful as it sounded, was not what he could afford. Kannabi Bridge was approaching. At the moment, it loomed over him like a monster in the distance, casting a long shadow, but Kakashi knew that time ran much faster when he absolutely did not want it to. Not one minute could be let to waste if it were possible.

Although he could head to the common training grounds, Kakashi didn't want to be disturbed. He hadn't yet had a chance to practice in this body again, and he needed to relearn many ingrained skills. He'd shrunk quite a bit overnight, and he wasn't as foolish to believe that it would just come naturally. If he had to guess, every move he made would be off balance. He did not even have the gradual improvement and adjustment that he'd had when growing older, the time in between growth spurts to adjust his technique. He had it all, and then it was all gone, in the long, slow blink of a Kamui eye.

Hence, Kakashi headed into the backyard of the Hatake compound, where a private training ground stood. Grass and weeds had overtaken the area, but Kakashi didn't mind. After a week or two of good training, the place would be level and dusty, as most training grounds were.

Before anything, he began his kata, which took a frustrating amount of time to correct. Luckily, he was not labeled a genius by his peers and elders for namesake alone. He recalled how he performed when he was a teenager and mimicked it, but his added years of experience revealed many minor flaws in his technique ⎼ and that he refused to stand for. Refining his kata until he was satisfied took the most time. Truly, it was not that long, but to Kakashi, it felt like an eternity.

After he was meagerly satisfied with his kata, he began on taijutsu. As much as he wanted to hone his ninjutsu and genjutsu, Kakashi didn't want to risk fainting as soon as he opened his left eye. His chakra felt as if it were balancing precariously on a cliff edge, and if he made the wrong move, it would topple over and self-destruct. Although he knew how unlikely it was, he hoped that, if he allowed his chakra to replenish to its maximum, then the situation would resolve itself. Until that did or didn't work, he would deal with the throbbing, dull pain in his hidden eye and sharpen his taijutsu.

Like he suspected, his beginning attacks against the wooden pole were majorly flawed. His swing was wider than it needed to be, his kicks overshot, and he could only imagine the number of blind spots that his poor form was broadcasting. Kakashi resolved to fix as many of these problems as he could before training tomorrow. It wouldn't do to show up and fight like an unsteady Academy student, in addition to how strange he had already been acting. Unfortunately, it was difficult to perfect a taijutsu unless he was in a spar. He didn't know where his blind spots were until they were exploited. But who to spar with? His ninken?

"Well well, if it isn't Hatake Kakashi!" A young, booming, but achingly familiar voice echoed out over the clearing. Kakashi relaxed from his stance, stuck his hands in his pockets, and turned to look at the ninja clad in green-spandex, standing on top of the Hatake compound as if it were a playground.

Maito Gai leapt from the roof and trotted over to him, looking like a happy, green pup. "I wasn't expecting to find you here, my rival!" He exclaimed.

"Gai, what are you doing here?" Kakashi drawled, feigning boredom. In reality, this was perfect. Gai always challenged him when they crossed paths. "You do know these are private grounds, don't you?"

"Ah, but you see! I was running my laps around the village when I saw Minato-sensei leaving this direction! How strange, I thought, because I knew your family home was nearby. So I decided to investigate and, behold! My rival, in the middle of rigorous, youthful training!"

Kakashi huffed, trying to hide the smile that threatened to pull across his lips. He had forgotten how much he had missed the bundle of energy, determination, and loyalty that was Maito Gai. Truly, the Hatake never noticed how much he missed his best friend until Gai was back in the village, chasing after him for another challenge. The ordeal, though infamous, was actually quite rare. In the score of years since they'd become friends, only recently had they broken the one hundred mark. It was to be expected, though ⎼ the Blue Beast and Copy Ninja were two of Konoha's best Jonin. Rarely were they in the village at the same time.

"Actually…" Kakashi turned to face Gai, his hands still in his pockets. "I was about to start working on my taijutsu."

"Taijutsu! The splendor of youth! I would offer to spar with you, but I'm afraid with your covered eye I would be at too much of an advantage. Another day, my rival!"

Not what he wanted to hear, but Kakashi could spin it to his benefit. He feigned disbelief. "I must have misheard… Surely Maito Gai isn't backing down from a challenge?"

That did the trick. He watched his best friend's face heat to the shade of a cherry before he exploded on another youthful rant. "O-of course not!" Gai exclaimed, hurrying to defend his honor. "But I will not fight you when you are not at your best, my rival. It would be unfair!"

Kakashi shrugged, turning back to his wooden post. "Ah, well, it would be unfair, but not to me," he hummed. "I could fight you with both my eyes closed if I wanted. But, I suppose some things are too daunting even for you, Gai. What a shame."

He could practically hear the steam rushing from Gai's ears. "Very well!" Gai cried. "I accept your challenge, rival!"

Feeling victoriously smug, Kakashi turned back to Gai. "Same rules?" He asked, out of habit. Gai's face immediately morphed into confusion.

"Same rules?" Gai questioned. "Uh, Kakashi, you have never accepted one of my challenges before."

Kakashi blanched. That was right. He hadn't paid Gai any mind until after Obito and Rin's deaths. Clearing his throat and scrambling for a coverup, he said, "Well, we'll lay down some rules then." He almost winced, having failed to explain away why he would have thought that they had pre-established rules, but Gai didn't seem to notice, so he steamrolled on. "No ninjutsu or genjutsu. We go on until one of us concedes, gets pinned, or can't go on. Sound fair?"

Gai fistpumped the air. "Delightful!" He shouted to the sky. "I cannot wait to test my strength against the prodigy!"

Again, Kakashi suppressed a wince. Gai had not called him a prodigy in a long, long time. Occasionally he bragged of Kakashi's genius to others, but the Blue Beast knew that Kakashi was a quiet person who did not like boasting. Gai came to respect that throughout their years of rivalry and friendship, but the Hatake was again reminded that he was not in the same time. The boisterous child before him was not the Blue Beast of the Leaf, nor his best friend, or even his self-proclaimed Eternal Rival. Right now they were nothing but former classmates and fellow shinobi.

Kakashi thought he would have started to get used to the pangs in his heart when he thought of what he had lost from the future. He was wrong.

"Are you going to keep yelling or fight me?" He asked, pulling one hand from his pocket. He lifted two fingers to his mask, and Gai instantaneously sobered.

Gai mimicked his sign of friendship. "My apologies. Let us begin."

Both shinobi stood stock still for three long seconds. In tandem, they said, "Hai!" and charged.

They met blow for blow in the middle, fists flying, meeting, missing, in a beautiful exchange of controlled violence. Kakashi knew that, originally, he was stronger than Gai, could beat him flat in a minute of battle. Now, though, either something else was different about Gai or he had overestimated his fighting abilities in this body.

Kakashi overreached a swing, leaving him wide open, and Gai landed a blow square on his shoulder. The force of it sent him flying backwards, but he flipped midair, landing crouched. His skull ⎼ his eye ⎼ throbbed painfully from the quick movements. Kakashi had no time to recover, though, because Gai was on him again, rearing back another blow. He barely had the time to cross his arms in a block, holding onto his footing as he absorbed the fierce blow. Throwing his arms to the side, he off balanced Gai and lunged.

Midair, Gai twisted, dodging his hit, but Kakashi pressed on the offensive. The Genin hardly had his feet under him before Kakashi was on him again, letting lose blow after blow, not letting his opponent regain his balance.

Gai realized his disadvantage and let himself fall, swiping his feet underneath Kakashi's and backflipping a safe distance away. Kakashi dodged but remained where he was, letting Gai take the offensive next.

"I knew you would be an excellent match for me, Kakashi!" Maito panted. "The springs of youth are⎼"

Kakashi cut him off. "Attack me or I'm leaving."

Gai flustered, made no comment that this was Kakashi's own home, and followed Hatake's advice. He launched himself at Kakashi, who was ready. He swiftly dodged the first few punches, buying time. He scanned Gai's movements until he found his weak spot, and immediately he exploited it.

Kakashi ducked underneath a hard-hitting swing and rammed his elbow into Gai's diaphragm, feeling the bones of his ulna and radius tuck under Gai's ribs. Maito gagged, the air rushing out of him, and before he could even fall to his knees Kakashi was behind him. His lanky arms locked around Gai's neck, and Maito choked, struggling fruitlessly. Eventually, he sagged, defeated, and Kakashi dropped him like a ragdoll.

"Not bad." Hatake walked around to face Gai. He crouched down, watching his former ⎼ or maybe to-be best friend rub at his throat and cough. Gai looked up at him from his hands and knees. Defeat was not evident on his face. Only determination and fire lived there, and Kakashi felt warmth blossom in his chest. This was the Maito Gai that he knew. "You lasted longer than I expected."

Seemingly, Gai did not know how to respond to that, or perhaps he couldn't quite form words yet. Knowing that the battle was well over, though, Kakashi extended two curled fingers to him in the sign of friendship. Gai's mouth dropped open, and he mimicked a gaping fish for a moment before he scrambled to do the same. Their fingers interlocked, and Kakashi stood, pulling Gai up with him.

"That was indeed an excellent battle," Gai agreed. "I must ask, Kakashi, why did you change your mind? You've rejected every one of my youthful challenges so far."

The Hatake looked away and shrugged. "Ah, well, you see…" He trailed off. After a few moments, he returned his gaze to Gai and nodded. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

Gai blanched. "Kakashi!" He roared. "That was not an explanation at all!"

A soft but genuine chuckle rose up in Kakashi's throat, and the sound caught both of them off guard. For a moment they froze, standing there and staring at each other in shock. Then Gai burst into laughter, and Kakashi joined him in a more subdued manner. The two children stood there in the overgrown grass of a dying clan's shadow, laughing for no real reason.

Kakashi allowed himself to think that, maybe, remaking his bonds with his friends wouldn't be so bad, after all.

**へのへのもへじ**

Somewhere along the lines, Kakashi had invited Gai inside for something to eat, and he gladly accepted. Once inside, Gai was thoroughly whumped by his more excitable ninken, who all remembered him as he used to be. He laughed and pet them all, exclaiming that he thought they were all so very precious, and he shouldn't have been surprised that Kakashi was able to summon eight. While Gai was distracted, the Hatake prepared a meal.

"Here you are." Kakashi carried over a bowl of curry, Gai's made especially spicy.

"Thank you very much!" Gai exclaimed, taking the bowl as Kakashi sat down opposite him. They both murmured a quick thanks and began to eat. At this age, Kakashi remembered that Gai would definitely try to peek under his mask, so he made sure to take quick bites whenever the other wasn't looking.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while. However, Kakashi soon felt the need to ask, for the sake of asking.

"Gai," he started. Gai looked up at him, managing a "Yes?" through his mouthful of food, and Kakashi found the nerve to continue. Might as well get it over with immediately, as he knew his best friend could be kind of dense. "So… What do you think about time travel?"

Gai swallowed his mouthful and actually seemed to ponder the question. "What about it?"

"Well, say when you get old⎼" Seeing the protest begin to form, Kakashi quickly raised his hands and corrected himself. "⎼Older. Still in the, uh, 'springtime of youth,' but you've, uh, lived a pretty full life up to that point." Gai nodded, following so far. "Say you have the opportunity to go back to when you were a kid, do it all over. Fix your mistakes. Maybe help a lot of people. Would you do it?"

Maito took a lot longer to answer that time around. Gai poked at his food, furry eyebrows scrunched in thought. Eventually, he looked up. "No," he answered. "No, I wouldn't." Kakashi motioned for him to elaborate, and he did. "Well, I don't think it would be fair," Gai continued, "unless everyone gets a second chance like I would. And… everyone makes mistakes. If I went back and undid all of that, I wouldn't even be me."

Kakashi tried not to let the uneasiness show. He didn't want to further explain on that piece, so he steamrolled ahead. "You didn't have a choice," he interjected. "Somehow, it happened. You wake up a kid, but you remember everything that happened… or that's going to happen. You know you made a lot of mistakes. This is your chance to change it. Do you try to go back to the future you know or change the past?"

Gai shook his head. "It's the same thing, Kakashi," he said, picking at his food. "I would try to get back to my own time. Why do you ask?"

Kakashi let out the softest sigh. "No reason," he murmured, returning his attention to the curry. "It was just ⎼ a dream I had."

"An interesting dream."

"You could say that."

There was a moment of silence between them, but neither resumed eating. Gai looked like he was working up the courage to ask something, and Kakashi waited patiently until he was ready.

"Kakashi…"

"Yes?"

"What was your dream like? Of the future?"

A soft, wistful smile curled onto Kakashi's lips. His visible eye crinkled up into the smile that Gai could see. "It was a good one," he said, "for the most part. The war was over. We lost a lot of good people, but the village had moved on and rebuilt, became stronger. You and me…" He chuckled. "We were Jonin sensei, with our own Genin team. We watched them grow up before our eyes, becoming Chunin and Jonin of their own. It was… good."

Gai beamed. "See!" He exclaimed, and Kakashi was taken aback by his excitement. The Genin barrelled on, saying, "If I had all that, why would I ever want to undo that? Sure, I'm sure it wasn't all good, but that's youth! That's life! It sounds incredible, Kakashi."

Kakashi felt his throat tighten, and something irritating pricked at his eyes. "Yeah," he replied softly. "Yeah, it does."

Shortly after, Gai excused himself for the night, once again thanking him for the spar and the meal. Kakashi saw him out, dismissed his ninken, and quietly cleaned, tidying up the house until the sun sank below the horizon. As shadows of the empty home grew longer, the Hatake sat himself down in his old room, staring out the window at the village that wasn't quite his.

Sudden, unbridled grief smashed into Kakashi like a wave, and he broke.


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi woke up feeling like his bones were made of lead. His head throbbed, and his mouth felt dry. He supposed it was to be expected, considering he didn't even remember falling asleep last night, but he also figured that he's felt worse over the years. Sighing, Kakashi heaved himself up from the floor. Apparently, he had also fallen asleep against his bed rather than on it.

Twisting sharply both directions wielded many satisfying pops from his spine. Kakashi cracked his fingers and his neck, gave his limbs a good shake, and stretched. Instinctively, he created a mental checklist to start out the day: get some water, something to eat, clean himself up, and get ready to train with his team.

A simple to-do list, but Kakashi felt weary down to his bones.

That was nothing new.

He started his day.

**へのへのもへじ**

Today, Minato was at the training grounds first, and Kakashi arrived second. Rin followed soon after, and they made amiable chatter for a half hour or so, until Obito finally joined them. The Uchiha was, again, surprised and suspicious that Kakashi didn't scold him for being so late, but, admittedly, Kakashi didn't have the energy. It was taking all of him to be here with the ghosts of his past and put on a somewhat normal demeanor. He couldn't muster the energy to pretend to be angry ⎼ not when it should be his team who should be angry, furious at what a disappointment he was.

Training passed uneventfully. No one mentioned Kakashi's escape from the hospital or his covered eye, and for that, he was grateful. Either the universe was giving him a little slack, or Minato was more perceptive than Kakashi had given him credit for, because they discussed strategy and battle planning that day. For the most part, he didn't comment on any of his teammates' or his sensei's plans, except for when he was goaded. He couldn't let them know he already lived through a war ⎼ or, two wars, if he counted the war on the Akatsuki ⎼ by suggesting strategies beyond his experience. Luckily, they all assumed he already knew everything (which he did) because he was a genius, and so he could space out for the better part of the morning.

Unfortunately, Kakashi's daydreams typically led him to dwelling on his many, many mistakes.

He felt tired.

Obito's grumbling stomach urged him back to reality. Zoning in on the conversation among his team took more effort than he liked to admit.

"Alright, let's break for lunch," Minato suggested. A hawk flew overhead, its cry echoing throughout the training grounds, and Kakashi and Minato both looked up while Rin and Obito chatted away. Sighing, Minato stood. "Actually, I have some business to attend to, so that'll be all for today. Good work, team! I'll see you tomorrow."

With a smile so genuine that it hurt Kakashi to look at, Minato vanished.

Immediately, Rin was on him, persistent in her endeavors to woo him ⎼ or, at least, to get him sociable. "Kakashi!" She said. He gazed at her with an empty eye, but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she barrelled on, only a little shy as she told him, "Obito and I were going to head to the new barbeque place that's opened up, and I was wondering if… if you'd like to join us?"

Obito audibly groaned in the background, exclaiming, "Rin!" Once more, she didn't seem to notice.

Kakashi was initially going to reject her offer, but he thought to what Minato had told him. He didn't know his teammates like he thought he did, and what better way to get to know them over some barbeque? Forcing his visible eye into a crinkled version of a smile, he said, "Well, I've got nothing else to do."

Rin squealed with delight. She snagged his hand and Obito's, dragging them both to their feet, on either side of her. "Yay! We haven't eaten together as a team in forever. Ooh, this is going to be so fun!"

Kakashi ignored the side-eye glare that Obito gave him. He was too tired to care.

He slipped his hand from Rin's, and at the same time she let go of Obito's. They walked together out of the training grounds. Any attempt at conversation with Kakashi fell flat ⎼ or would have, if his teammates had been anyone else. Even though he answered with only a nod or a distant "yeah," Rin and Obito talked themselves away, about things Kakashi knew nothing about. The latest news in the village, the flower shop, the hottest gossip… It was all so _domestic_. Everything that Kakashi was not.

As they reached the village itself, walking through the crowded streets, Kakashi dropped to the back of the group. It wasn't an unusual action, considering there simply wasn't enough room for three children to walk side-by-side during the busiest part of the day. So Kakashi followed behind Rin and Obito, watching them talk and laugh and carry on. They were so, so happy. Without him.

He was going to ruin it _all_.

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi blinked, realizing he'd stopped in the middle of the road. Rin and Obito were both looking back at him, one worried and the other, confused.

"Are you coming?" Rin asked.

Obito chimed in, "Yeah, you can't just stop in the middle of the road like that, Bakakashi. That's how you get hit by a cart."

It was too much. Their happiness, their concern, it was _too much_. He didn't deserve any of it. He was the reason for their deaths! All he deserved was to rot in his own misery, to be isolated with his demons, to suffocate in his grief.

"I'm not hungry," Kakashi lied. "I'll see you at training tomorrow."

Before he could be stopped, the Hatake promptly fled the scene with a _shunshin_.

**へのへのもへじ**

Rin and Obito looked at each other, and they both already knew what the other was thinking. Something was definitely wrong with their teammate ⎼ something that might be out of their depths. They didn't know what happened to cause this change, but they did know that Kakashi seemed to transform, overnight. He wasn't the cold, aloof, but more or less enjoyable member of their team any longer. Instead, he seemed incredibly burdened, but by what? Their plan to pry it out of him at lunch went out the window. Did he figure it out? They knew Kakashi was smart, but they had acted their parts perfectly, even with Obito objecting, loudly. So what had gone wrong?

"We're going to need to plan bigger," Rin said. "He's not just going to open up because we ask."

"I don't know if he'd open up at _all_," Obito responded, crossing his arms. "He can be so stubborn! It's obvious that he's not okay. Does he not trust us or something?"

Nohara pursed her lips, looking away. "I don't know," she admitted softly, "but you know Kakashi has always liked to handle things on his own. Maybe he doesn't want our help?"

"But we're his _team!"_ Obito threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "If anyone's going to help him, it's us!"

"Maybe… maybe we can't use a frontal approach for this."

"What?"

"What Sensei talked about at training today," Rin elaborated. They resumed their walk to the barbeque restaurant, both feeling the empty hole where their third teammate should be. "Sometimes a direct attack is the worst way to go about infiltration, especially when it comes to an enemy that's already wary."

Obito frowned. He fiddled with his goggles, and Rin knew that meant he was thinking, hard. "Kakashi is always suspicious, though," he pointed out, "especially if we talk about anything that, y'know, matters. Unless it's a mission."

That gave Rin an idea.

"A mission, hm?" She tapped her chin, thinking. "That could work. But we'd need someone to be bait, someone that wouldn't immediately raise Kakashi's suspicions. But who? I don't know of anyone he's actually close with."

"He's not really the most sociable of people, is he?"

Obito and Rin sighed, at a loss. They pushed open the doors to the barbeque, and a loud voice caught their attention.

"Obito! Rin! Over here!" Maito Gai furiously waved at them to come join him. He was seated with Asuma and Kurenai. The remaining members of Team Minato looked at each other, and grinned. They sat down with their classmates, ordered their lunch, and explained the general situation.

It was quite a surprise to learn that Gai and Kakashi had spent some quality time together the previous day. No one at the table would have believed it, but Gai swore up and down that it was true, and that he was planning on finding Kakashi again later to challenge him to a rematch.

What a pleasant surprise, indeed.

The small group, determined to figure out the source of Kakashi's unhappiness, began to formulate a plan. They would find out what was wrong and fix it, and then Kakashi could be a friend to all of them. He would be happy ⎼ or, at the very least, not so lonely ⎼ and everything would be good. Everything would be okay.

**へのへのもへじ**

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood alone at the Memorial Stone.

He felt numb.

And tired.


	8. Chapter 8

The strategists: Rin and Kurenai (not including a few, unhelpful, loud suggestions from Obito and Gai).

The actors: Obito, Gai, Rin, and Asuma.

The behind-the-scenes: Kurenai.

It was time to go forward with Plan G, considering Plan A through F all failed, horrendously. Essentially they were variations of the original plan that Rin and Obito had, with minor tweaks: Get Kakashi to open up. They used a mixture of their friend group, as to not arouse suspicion, to corner the Hatake, try to casually mention _feelings_ and such. Needless to say, it took the boys Plan A through D to realize the girls were better at subtly talking than they were, and E and F were handed to Rin and Kurenai. Still, Kakashi avoided them like rotten apples in an orchard.

Somehow, someway, every single time, Kakashi would find a convenient excuse to disappear ⎼ not even very good excuses, but excuses nonetheless ⎼ and vanish before they could get a protest in edgewise. Other times, it seemed they would blink, or get distracted for a second, and he was gone again. Rin and Obito even tried to confront him during training, one-on-one and together. Kakashi acted like he didn't hear them until Minato called for their attention again.

Hence, Plan G. It was their boldest, riskiest, most daring plan yet, and it had to work, or else they were out of ideas.

Originally, Plan G had been Rin's first idea. However, she was reluctant to share, having rathered find an alternate way that wasn't so deceptive. After trying to converse with Kakashi clearly wasn't getting anywhere, though, Kurenai convinced her that she was a kunoichi, and being deceptive ⎼ even to teammates ⎼ was a part of the job. So, Rin relented, and Plan G was set into action.

Today was execution day.

For a week in advance, they had stalked Kakashi's movements and daily routines. Or, at least, they tried to. It was simple enough to follow him through the village when he was buying groceries or, oddly enough, gazing almost longingly at bookshelves (but never buying anything). However, sometimes, Kakashi would turn a corner, or pass by a crowd, and he'd be gone without a trace. No one knew if he was that good, and had detected them, or if he was that secluded, and enjoyed his privacy so thoroughly. Most suggested it was a combination of the two.

Either way, they had a general estimate of his whereabouts today. Kakashi should be buying groceries again. He would be in the village, likely finishing with his shopping soon.

"And we're all clear on the plan?" Rin asked. She was given firm nods by those around her. Even Maito Gai seemed serious, and she didn't think he had the ability. Then again, this was Kakashi they were dealing with, Gai's self-proclaimed rival as of the past month. Everyone here ⎼ Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Obito, and herself ⎼ they all cared about Kakashi deeply. That was why this plan was going to work. Everything was going to be okay. It seemed to be her mantra, as of late.

"Then let's move out. You all know your positions. Get ready, and, most importantly, make it believable," Rin said. A chorus of "Hai!" greeted her, and then they scattered into the Forest of Death, except for Gai, who darted for the village at breakneck speed.

**へのへのもへじ**

Gai sped through the Forest of Death and whizzed across the rooftops of the village, until he reached the marketplace. He paused, looking for the familiar spike of gray hair… Where was he? Where⎼ There! Gai leapt down to the ground and rushed towards his rival, who carried a brown bag of groceries.

Kakashi must have sensed his presence, for he turned before Gai could even get out a word. "Gai?" He asked. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"Kakashi!" Gai gasped. At least he didn't entirely have to pretend to be winded. "We need your help, please!"

Kakashi furrowed his singular, visible eye. It was still unnerving, getting used to that one-eyed stare of his, but Gai always knew better than to ask. That same stare was scanning him, now, noting the tears in his green jumpsuit, the flush to his cheeks, the almost panicked look in his eye. _That_ he didn't have to fake either. Kakashi was so different now it could be frightening, at times, and he worried greatly for his rival.

"What happened?" Kakashi demanded, with the voice of an experienced Jonin. Gai swallowed and swung his arm wide, pointing behind him, to the Forest of Death.

"We were training together, and we were attacked! Kakashi, you have to help. I couldn't find Minato-sensei a-and you were the first one I saw and ⎼ and _please_, come with me!"

"Is someone hurt? Who attacked you?"

"It's Rin!"

The bag dropped to the ground. Groceries spilled out onto the road. Kakashi didn't seem to notice. His voice was dark, and terrifying, when he said, "_Take me to her_."

Gai gulped, nodded, and spun on his heel. Kakashi was hot on his heels. But Gai couldn't help but notice that there was something… wrong, with Kakashi's aura. It was unnerving. It wasn't quite killing-intent, but it was just as volatile, explosive, dangerous, and it had a tinge of panic to it. Gai supposed Kakashi had every right to be panicked, considering he didn't know this was just a little performance they had set up, but Kakashi never panicked. _Never_.

"Gai."

That tone again. Gai suppressed a shudder. "Yes?"

"Tell me what happened."

Gai nodded and gathered his thoughts. He remembered what he was told to say. "Rin asked me to train her in taijutsu. I gladly accepted, knowing I could help a fellow shinobi and teammate of my great rival⎼"

"_Gai._"

"R-Right, sorry." Gai cleared his throat. "I took her to the Forest of Death to train, and we were attacked. A rogue ninja must have been hiding there. I didn't see any village markings, so⎼"

Suddenly, Gai had to dodge a punch thrown at his jaw. He spun away, alarmed, and came to a halt on the first tree branches of death's forest. "K-Kakashi? Why would you⎼"

"You just _left her there?_" Kakashi shouted. Never before had Gai heard the Hatake raise his voice. He cringed away.

"No, Rin is safe! The ninja is… I ⎼ I don't know. O-Obito showed up and told me to go get help, s-so I did, and…"

Kakashi swore, and he swore loudly, before taking off into the trees again. Gai fumbled to catch up, kicking off with a burst of extra speed. Kakashi's glare nearly stopped him in his tracks. At least, this seemed to be more of the Hatake that they knew ⎼ this cold iciness, but where did such hatred in his eyes come from? Surely it couldn't be directed at Gai?

"Go get real help, Gai," Kakashi commanded. "If Rin is hurt, she's going to need a medic, and my skills are average at best. I'll handle whatever Obito couldn't."

Maybe he noticed the stricken look on Gai's face, because Kakashi's eye softened, if only for a moment. "I'm just worried. Go. We'll be alright."

"Y-Yes, of course. Take care, Rival." Gai turned, sprinting the opposite direction into the trees. He made sure he was out of sight before he began circling around. There was no real need for a medical ninja, and he wanted to see how their plan played out. Given how strangely Kakashi was acting, Gai was more than worried. He had never seen the Hatake care so vehemently like that, to the extent of lashing out at an ally. Gai could only pray that their plan went smoothly, and that Kakashi would come to terms with the fact that, as much as he would care for his friends during a mission, they wanted to care for him outside missions, too.

He just hoped that taking such drastic measures to show Kakashi that they cared wouldn't backfire.

**へのへのもへじ**

From her bird's nest, hidden high in the trees, Kurenai whispered into her headpiece, "He's almost here! Rin, how's the genjutsu holding up?"

"Just dandy!" Came Rin's static voice. "Asuma looks like one rogue ninja, alright."

"And Obito?"

Obito said, "Looks like I just got in a fight with that old cat lady."

"Perfect. Rin?"

"Dead as a doornail!" Rin chirped. "Or, dying as a doornail, I guess."

"That'll do." Kurenai shifted in her spot, bright red eyes watched the white blur approach. "Alright, everyone, places! Plan G is moving into Phase Two in five, four, three, two… Go!"

**へのへのもへじ**

Kakashi felt like he'd just been hit with his students' signature attacks all at once. All the energy, the fear, the adrenaline ⎼ it left as soon as it had come. His one working eye processed the scene before him in slow motion, like a Tsukuyomi.

A rogue ninja, much older, much more rugged, stood with a bloody kunai. He looked a little worn down, but like he could still put up a decent fight.

Across from him was Obito ⎼ standing, but barely. The Uchiha was panting heavily, and bleeding. It seemed like the only thing keeping him on his feet was sheer determination. But it was no wonder, seeing as who it was he was protecting.

Rin ⎼ oh, god, _Rin._ She was on the ground, a puddle of blood around her. If she was breathing at all, she was struggling through each breath. Instincts told him she didn't have long, and, if Obito continued to fight alone, he would be suffering the same fate quite soon.

Kakashi's brain kicked back into gear. His teammates, his family, his pack, they were danger! He needed to help, he needed to fight, needed to _move_.

"Obito!" He called, rushing forward to help. "Rin!"

Obito turned at the sound of his voice, and Kakashi realized his mistake _(another mistake, on top of a lifetime of them, and yet it hurt just as much as the rest)_. When Obito was distracted, the rogue ninja lunged, kunai angled perfectly to strike down his last teammate. Kakashi was too far away to help.

"Obito!" He screamed. "Look out!"

Obito turned just in time to meet the kunai face to blade. The child screeched, and blood erupted from one side of his face. His hands flew up to clutch at what Kakashi could only assume to be his eye, but the action fell short. Obito fell to his knees, and then he collapsed entirely, blood pooling around him. He moaned weakly in pain, once, twice. Rin didn't look to be breathing.

Silence. From both of them.

The rogue ninja shifted, holding his kunai defensively. Kakashi didn't notice. He was staring at Obito and Rin's bodies, their blood staining the grass, staining his hands. He failed them, again. Obito and Rin were dead, because of him, _again_. He lost his family, _**again**_.

At least, this time, he had someone to take it out on besides himself, for a time.

Kakashi felt cold rage burn through him. He turned his eye to the rogue ninja, who briefly seemed to falter, but regained confidence and stood his ground.

"You're going to wish you had never been born," Kakashi said, letting the darkness consume him anew.

He reached for his headband.

**へのへのもへじ**

"You're going to wish you had never been born," Kakashi said, in a voice that was not his. Something was wrong, Rin thought, very, very wrong. She could feel Obito's involuntary twitching beside her, something that only happened when he was truly afraid but trying to hide it. Even Asuma seemed unnerved. She wondered what Gai thought, when there was no doubt he was watching their plan unfold into something that very much was not in the plan.

Kurenai's voice crackled to life in all of their headpieces. "Guys, something isn't right. I don't think I like⎼"

At the same time, Asuma blurted their failsafe, "Shogi! Shogi!"

It didn't stop Kakashi.

**へのへのもへじ**

Kakashi reached for his headband. The rogue ninja had a voice that seemed eerily familiar, but he was too far gone to recognize much of anything other than bloodlust. That man was going to pay dearly for what he had done to Kakashi, to Minato-sensei, to Konoha, for taking away two of the most precious people the world would ever see.

He lifted his headband. Pain exploded behind his eye, causing him to stumble, but he didn't drop. He pushed through it, and the inky blackness dotting his left eye became clearer, with an intensity that had been returned to its rightful owner the moment he woke up in this godforsaken past. Maybe Obito's ghost had once again lent him the power of the Sharingan to get revenge. Hopefully, afterwards, Obito's ghost would take Kakashi with him before he left for the afterlife.

First, though, he had someone to slaughter.

**へのへのもへじ**

At Asuma's terrified cry, Rin and Obito scrambled to their feet. Gai jumped down from the trees, Kurenai doing the same on the opposite side of the clearing. Their efforts didn't really matter.

When Kakashi lifted his headband, the bloodlust knocked them all to their knees. The killing-intent froze them to the spot, closing their throats in terror ⎼

⎼ except for Kakashi, who was on top of Asuma faster than the eye could see.

⎼ except for Asuma, who shrieked.


	9. Chapter 9

The clearing was filled with the sounds of chirping birds. Kakashi's hand was holding lightning itself, and he was aiming it straight for Asuma.

Asuma dropped the genjutsu instantly. "Kakashi!" He cried. "It's me! Stop!"

For a fraction of a second, Kakashi hesitated, trying to register what was going on, trying to stop and think ⎼ but the Chidori was already in motion, propelled by bloodlust and vengeance for his teammates. Memories of Rin flashed through his mind, when she jumped in front of his Lightning Blade and he couldn't stop it. Now, the same was happening, and he couldn't stop it. He was going to kill his friend.

Kakashi thought, _Why do I fuck everything up?_ And then the Chidori connected.

The tree trunk shattered, exploding into thousands of splinters, a hole larger than Kakashi himself left gaping in the wood, lightning causing the large tree to shake and tremble. The burnt bark sizzled.

The Chidori died from his palm, and Kakashi dropped to his knees, dazed. He looked at his hand.

There was no blood.

How? He had struck right through Asuma… hadn't he?

"Asuma!" Rin cried.

Wait, Rin?

Kakashi numbly turned his head. And there was Rin, running towards Asuma. Obito and Kurenai were by her side, and Gai was rushing over from the other side of the clearing. He didn't understand. Rin and Obito were dead. Asuma was dead. Gai and Kurenai weren't even here.

"Kakashi."

Minato set a heavy hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and he blankly stared up at his sensei, who looked troubled. When had Minato-sensei gotten here?

Teacher and student locked eyes, and Minato startled, before peering closer at Kakashi's left eye. "Kakashi, what in Kami's name⎼?" His sensei took a better look at him then, and decided that his questions were better off for a later time. The Namikaze sighed, straightened, and whirled around, crossing his arms. Kakashi didn't move.

"You all have some explaining to do!" He demanded. "You're lucky I got here when I did. Asuma, Kakashi could have killed you!"

Asuma looked at the floor. Kakashi didn't notice.

"And Rin, Obito, why are you covered in blood? _Fake_ blood, I might add. What was all this about?"

"I⎼I promise we'll explain, Sensei," Rin stammered, looking past Minato. "But, Kakashi⎼ he, he doesn't look so…"

Obito shifted to the side, trying to get a better look at his teammate. "Bakakashi?" He tried hesitantly. "Listen, we weren't trying to be mean, we just thought that…" Obito stopped suddenly when Kakashi turned to look at him.

The shadow of a Sharingan spun lazily in his left eye, which was filled with tears.

"K-Kakashi?"

The Hatake pushed himself to his feet. He looked like a dead man walking, and the faint image of the Sharingan circling in his eye made him look even more ghastly. It was only the tears threatening to fall that kept him looking human. "Stay away from me," he croaked.

"Kakashi, wait⎼" Rin stepped forward, and Kakashi took a step back. Everyone had their eyes on him, and it was too much. Everything was simply too much.

Kakashi vanished, and Minato turned to look at the rest of the Genin.

"Sensei!" Obito cried. "Aren't you going to go after him? He⎼"

"He's like that because of _you_, you know," Minato replied sternly, and all their faces fell. The Jonin sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to go after him and make sure he's okay. But you guys aren't off the hook, either. I expect all of you to be at my house for dinner tonight. _Understand?_"

The children shuffled their feet, finding the grassy, bloody floor to be much more interesting to look at. "Yes, Sensei," they all murmured.

"Good. Clean up, and stay out of trouble."

Minato vanished, and Kakashi's friends looked at each other, slowly coming to terms with the gravity of the situation. They had messed up, big time. And they all had a feeling that a simple "sorry" wasn't going to be good enough to get them out of the grave they dug.

**へのへのもへじ**

Dinner had never been so tense.

"Alright." Minato folded his hands in front of him, his empty plate pushed to the side for now. "Who's going to start?"

The Genin shared guilty glances. Rin spoke up first.

"Um, Sensei, will you tell us how Kakashi is, first?" She asked shyly, but clearly concerned for her teammate.

Minato sighed, looking away for a moment. "I can't do that," he admitted. "I couldn't find him."

"You couldn't find him?!" Obito exclaimed, standing up so quickly his chair screeched as it dragged across the floor. "Sensei! You're the Yellow Flash! I know Kakashi is a prodigy, but how could you not find him?"

"Obito, it's not that simple," Minato explained calmly. "Kakashi is practically a Jonin. He has the skill-level for it, and he got a head start. He knows how to suppress his chakra signature to almost nothing, and he has his pick of the whole village for a hiding spot. If I had longer, I'm sure I could have found him, but I only had a few hours before I had to come here to meet with you guys."

Rin spoke quietly. "He doesn't want to be found."

Minato sighed. "Yes, that's the most likely…"

"And we made him feel like that," she finished in a whisper. Silence reigned in the room. Obito quietly took his seat.

Their sensei continued. "That's why I need you all to tell me what was going on. I didn't see the whole thing, and if I can get a big picture it'll help me when I talk to Kakashi."

"It's my fault, Sensei," Rin began. "I'm the one who came up with the idea."

"Don't blame yourself, Rin," Kurenai said softly. "We all agreed to it and participated equally. We're all to blame."

Gai slammed his fist on the table. It banged loudly, rattling some of the dishes. "Kurenai is right!" He exclaimed. "We were doing what we thought was best for my dear rival, but we were mistaken! We did not think of how our plan could have gone wrong, and that is on all of us."

Minato raised a hand to get the Genin to settle down. "Please, someone, tell me what the plan _was_."

"You should know our reasoning first, Sensei," said Rin. "Lately, Kakashi's been…"

"Bakakashi has been weird!" Obito finished for her. His classmates nodded quietly in agreement. "He isn't acting right. I know you see it, too, Sensei, and we wanted to help."

Rin continued. "Obito and I tried to take Kakashi out for barbeque, to talk to him about it, but he – he got this sad look in his eyes, all of a sudden, and he skipped out. That's when Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai got involved."

"Rin and Obito explained the situation," Kurenai said. "We all wanted to help Kakashi. So at first we tried talking to him. We tag-teamed or went alone, just trying to get him to open up, but he always managed to come up with an excuse and disappear before we could really talk to him."

"Thing is, he was acting just fine," Asuma murmured. "Or, I think _he_ thinks he was acting fine. But that's the thing: we could all tell he was _acting_. And you know something's gotta be wrong for Kakashi to have so many off-days."

The other Genin were mumbling their agreement when Gai shouted over them all. "And so we resorted to Plan H!"

"Idiot," Obito scoffed. "It was Plan G, not Plan H. We never got to Plan H."

Minato leaned forward on his elbows, eyeing the students. "And Plan G was what went down in the Forest of Death?"

"Hai," they replied.

"Now, what kind of plan resulted in Rin and Obito playing dead, Gai and Kurenai hiding in the trees, and Kakashi about to kill Asuma, disguised as some sort of rogue nin?"

"Well, Sensei," Rin started, "I was trying to think of a better way to get through to Kakashi that we all cared about him, and clearly trying to talk to him wasn't working. That's when I realized that he only takes missions so seriously. I know he cares about us, Sensei, I just know it, even if he has trouble showing it. So, I thought that, maybe, if we could show him how much he would do for us if we were on a mission gone wrong, well, we could tell him that we want to do the same for him, even when we're not on a mission."

Minato was silent for a long time. The children shifted nervously in their seats, exchanging glances. A long, drawn out sigh from the Jonin brought their gazes back to him.

"I can understand your intentions. But you need to consider all possible aspects of a plan before you set it into motion," the Namikaze explained. "Kakashi is an excellent ninja. You all know this." They nodded. "And you know he cares about his teammates, even if he doesn't show it." Another round of nods. "And you all know that he already lost someone very close to him."

"His father…" Obito murmured.

"Yes. Now, I know Hatake Sakumo was not KIA, but Kakashi lost him all the same, and no matter what he says, that's going to affect him in ways we can't see."

"I…" Rin twisted her napkin anxiously in her fingers. "I never thought about that."

Minato offered her a small, sad smile. "With all this in mind, now how do you think Kakashi is going to react if an enemy ninja is inside Konoha and has just killed his two teammates?"

Once more, the Genin were deathly silent as the information sunk in and processed. Finally, Obito moaned, slamming his head on the edge of the table. "We messed up," he breathed. "We really, really messed up."

Suddenly, Gai jumped up in alarm, startling everyone else at the table. "We must find Kakashi!" He exclaimed. "I cannot rest easy knowing my actions could have affected him so negatively!"

"Gai, we wouldn't even know where to start looking," Kurenai said. Gai sagged.

"The Memorial Stone."

Every eye turned to Asuma.

"I've seen him there, lately," the Sarutobi said. "He just stands there like a statue."

"Or the Hatake compound!" Gai added, renewed with vigor. "I've found him there a few times."

Minato shook his head. "I've already checked the compound and his apartment, as well as the training grounds, the Forest of Death, and anywhere else around the village I could think of. But I haven't looked at the Memorial Stone. Asuma, you said you've seen Kakashi there?"

"Uh-huh." Asuma nodded. Minato scratched at his head in wonder.

"Now why would he be there? His father's name isn't on that stone, and as far as I'm aware, there's no one else that Kakashi's lost."

"Um." Obito stole the focus in the room. "Maybe… maybe he's there because he doesn't… want anyone else's name to go on it?" He suggested quietly. "We… we probably gave him a really big scare today. And Kakashi likes to overthink, a lot."

"That's not a bad idea," Minato agreed. "It is late, though, and it's been a long day. I want everyone here to go get a good night's rest, and we'll find Kakashi in the–"

"No!" Rin snapped. Realizing her actions, she blushed, and repeated herself more calmly. "I-I'm sorry, Sensei, but no. Gai's right. I won't be able to get any sleep with this on my conscience. I need to make it right."

"Me too." Obito nodded. Kurenai and Asuma also agreed.

"I suppose that settles it, then." Minato stood, and the children stood with him. "We find Kakashi tonight. I want all of you to split up into different sectors of the village and search. If you do find him, I want you–" Minato gave each of them small, thin scrolls. "–to send your chakra into these. It'll let me, and everyone else, know where you are. But, remember, we're not trying to all gang up on Kakashi at once. It'll be lucky if he talks to just one of us. So if someone sends the signal, the rest of you go home. Understand?"

"Hai!"

"Then let's head out."

**へのへのもへじ**

The moon was high in the sky, and no one had given word that they had found Kakashi, not even Minato. Eventually, they all gathered together at the training grounds and confirmed that Kakashi was gone without a trace. Every square inch of Konoha had been searched, including the Memorial Stone and the Hatake compound, and nothing even slightly indicated that Kakashi had been there. With this knowledge heavy on his mind, Minato reluctantly dismissed them for the night. Rin and Obito lingered behind with their sensei as the other Genin trudged home, defeated.

"Sensei…" Rin held unshed tears in her eyes. "Do you think Kakashi is okay?"

Minato released a long, heavy sigh. "Honestly, Rin, I don't know," he admitted. Watching her expression crumble, he quickly knelt, dragging her into a hug. He could feel her tears falling on his shoulder. "He'll be okay, though," he promised her. While he comforted Rin, he watched as Obito lifted his goggles and began to scrub furiously at his eyes. Minato dragged him into the hug, too, and he held his crying students.

"We'll all be okay."

Minato could only hope he wasn't making an empty promise. Yet, when he thought back to that cold, dead look in Kakashi's eyes… and a Sharingan, he could have sworn he saw… Minato wasn't sure just how okay they would be.


	10. Chapter 10

No one was expecting Kakashi to show up to training the next day.

When he did, no one was expecting that he would pretend the previous day just didn't happen.

When he did, the rest of Team Minato was at a terrible loss.

What they did grasp was this: Kakashi meant business. His left eye was covered, and he spoke very little, but when they began in their taijutsu spars the child fought with a cold fury the likes of which Minato had seen only in ANBU and veteran Jonin. He beat Rin and Obito into the dirt, and even when he faced Minato, their sensei did not come away unscatched.

The few words Kakashi did speak were snippets of what could have been advice. "Your reflexes are too slow," he told Obito. "Trust your gut, not your eyes."

"But I can _see_ that you're going right!"

"And I hit you from the left. If that were my katana, you would be dead."

Obito was quiet after that, but he heaved himself to his feet nonetheless and readied his stance. The Uchiha was just as stubborn as the Hatake, and if this was his retribution for scaring Kakashi so badly, he would take it head on. He would learn, and he would be a better teammate, and Kakashi wouldn't have to worry so much.

Kakashi didn't go easy on Rin, either. When Obito protested those actions, the Chunin sighed, and his stance relaxed. If Minato didn't know any better, he would have said that Kakashi was going into "sensei-mode."

"Rin is a medic nin, you're right," Kakashi agreed, "but she's a member of the team all the same. If she's a weak link, then the whole structure will crumble."

Obito grew furious. "Don't insult her like that! Rin is a great kunoichi, she⎼"

"She would be dead."

Obito, Rin, and Minato all blinked in surprise. Kakashi was now standing behind Rin, a kunai at her throat. The Genin had not even seen Kakashi move, and even Minato was greatly impressed by his speed. Rin gulped nervously.

"Or she would be a hostage. Where does that leave you and me, Obito? Are you going to pick the mission or the team?"

"I would save Rin _and_ complete the mission!" Obito bellowed.

Kakashi lowered the kunai and took a step back, sheathing the weapon. "If Rin didn't need to be saved, we wouldn't have to worry about adding in that extra step, or running the risk of not being able to save her," he said calmly. Rin, at least, had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I'll be better," she vowed. "I'll be a great kunoichi, just you watch! I'm going to be the one saving both your butts."

Even Minato was not safe from Kakashi's criticisms.

"You're too easy on them," he said in between punches. They were sparring in pairs, and so far, Kakashi was keeping up evenly with their Jonin Sensei. "You're not preparing them for what war is really like."

Minato ducked under a blow. "Genin can't learn it all in a day, Kakashi."

Kakashi chased after him as he retreated, throwing shuriken. "Genin can die in minutes, Sensei. We're going to get sent out on a real mission and they're going to get slaughtered."

"Have some faith in your team!" Minato spun around the trunk of a large tree, throwing a punch that connected. Kakashi's shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Namikaze stood ready, shouting into the forest. "I'll be with you! I won't let anything happen to you."

Whirling around, Minato blocked kunai thrown at him. Tags attached to their handles exploded when they were close enough, and he barely jumped out of range in time.

"And what about when you're not there?" Kakashi was behind him. Minato turned just in time to reenage in hand to hand combat. "What about when you're needed on more difficult missions, and I'm a Jonin, and we're sent out alone? What then?"

"Then you'll be the one to protect them," he replied.

Kakashi hissed, hints of fury in his tone. "They're not _ready_."

**へのへのもへじ**

The end of their training came at last. All of them were dirty, having been thrown around in the dirt, and Obito and Rin were sporting a good few bruises. Minato told them to go home, get washed up, and get something to eat.

Kakashi turned to leave, but Minato called his name. "Come here for a second."

For a long moment, Kakashi weighed the pros and cons of pretending like he didn't hear his sensei. The teen heaved a sigh and turned around. "Yes, Sensei?" He asked, standing with his hands in his pockets. He looked aloof and bored, but Minato was searching for that dead look in his eye from yesterday – and something else.

"Let me see your left eye, please."

Minato was at least expecting some protest, but Kakashi gave none. He merely hummed, lifted his hitai-ate, and opened his left eye. A dull gray eye stared back at Minato. There was no sign of any Sharingan, so had he imagined it?

"Thank you, Kakashi."

"Hm." The Hatake replaced his headband. "Is that all, Sensei?"

"No. I wanted to ask you how you were doing."

"Is this because of yesterday?" Kakashi had never wanted to leave anywhere faster.

"Yes. Yesterday… What your classmates did, it was wrong, that's true. But their intentions were good. They just wanted to show you that they cared about you." Minato paused, waiting for a reaction, but his student gave him none. The Jonin sighed. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, Sensei." Kakashi actually _smiled_ at him, then – or what could count as Kakashi's smile, that crinkle of an eye that he had started doing those months ago. "Just refocused." Before Minato could get in another word, Kakashi was already walking away. "See you tomorrow for training!"

Kami, that child was going to be the death of him. "Obito," Minato called, and the Uchiha poked his head out from behind some nearby bushes. "It's not polite to eavesdrop."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Sensei, I just…"

"You're worried about Kakashi, I know." Minato gave his student a little smile. "Obito, I have another question about yesterday."

His Genin perked up, curious, and removed himself from his hiding spot to stand in front of his sensei.

"Obito, yesterday, did you notice anything wrong with Kakashi's eyes?"

"His eyes?" Obito repeated. He shifted, scratching at his skull in thought. "Uh… Well, when he looked at us, after you showed up, it looked like…"

"Go on," Minato prodded. "There's no wrong answer. Just tell me what you thought you saw."

Obito nodded. "It looked like he had a Sharingan. But that's not possible, right? Kakashi isn't a Uchiha. And it only looked like it was in the eye he keeps covered up all the time."

That certainly complicated the situation a bit more. If only Minato saw it, he could have dismissed it easily as a trick of the light. But if Obito saw it too? The questions and mysteries surrounding his genius student never seemed to end.

"Thank you, Obito. Now you better go catch up to Rin before she catches Kakashi by herself."

"Oh!" Obito yelped, immediately taking off after his teammates. "Thank you Sensei! Bye!"

Minato smiled watching the figures of his students disappear, and when they were out of sight, the smile vanished from his face. All these questions bogging down his mind were troubling and worrying. If he didn't start getting answers, whether from Kakashi or another source, he was going to start pulling his hair out.

The Namikaze looked to the sky, trying to remain hopeful. _Are you seeing this, Sakumo? _He wondered. _Your son needs a father, and me and the kids aren't enough to fill the hole you left. I'm worried we're only making it worse, even if I don't know how. _

**へのへのもへじ**

Kakashi was walking alone, his hands in his pockets, but he could sense Rin and Obito long before they reached him. His teammates ran up on either side of him, joining him in his walk. Kakashi could feel the tension in the silence. They had something they wanted to say but didn't know how to begin, and he didn't want to hear it.

"Kakashi," Rin started. He could never quite ignore the pang in his heart when she said his name. "Can we take you out to dango? Or barbeque? I… I want to make up for those awful things we did yesterday."

"It went a lot worse than we wanted it to," Obito agreed.

Kakashi said nothing and kept walking. Obito growled, his temper rising. "Come on, Bakakashi! Let us at least _explain_⎼"

The Hatake cut him off cooly. "There's nothing to explain."

"Yes there is!"

"And you think explaining it is just going to magically make it go away?" Kakashi pinned his teammate with an icy glare, and the Uchiha quieted. They all stopped walking. "I thought you both were dead."

Rin shifted, looking from the ground to Kakashi. "I know we can't undo what we did yesterday," she said, "and I don't know how it affected you… You never let us in, Kakashi! We've been trying for weeks to get close to you, and you just keep running away. Something's wrong, and not just because of what happened yesterday. Something's been wrong ever since that day you were sick, and we're all really worried. We want to help, but you aren't letting us."

Kakashi scoffed, turning his head away. "I⎼"

"Don't you even start!" Obito snatched Kakashi by the front of his shirt, dragging him in close, catching the Hatake off guard. Kakashi stared at Obito warily, his only visible eye slightly widened.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Yes I do!" He snapped. "You were going to say it's none of our business, or that nothing's wrong, or that you could handle it on your own. We're a team, Bakakashi! We do things together. That's what we've been trying to get through your thick skull!"

Kakashi growled, pushing Obito's hand off of him. "Even if I wanted to tell you, I can't," he replied.

"Guys, please…" Both the boys quieted at Rin's gentle tone. "We're not asking you to tell us everything right now. As much as we want to know, because we want to help you, that's not who you are. I know you're a very private person, Kakashi, and we can respect that. Just… please, let us take you to dango."

For a long moment, the trio was silent. Kakashi's usual retort that he didn't like sweets was on his tongue, but it didn't leave his lips. Minato had said that he should try to get closer to his teammates. And while that large, broken part of him told him to push them as far away as possible, protect them from a distance, a smaller, quieter voice told him to cherish them, hold them close while he still could. He was given a second chance, and it was up to him to look at that second chance as a blessing or a curse.

Kakashi let out a long, slow sigh. "Alright. But just this once⎼"

"Yes!" Rin and Obito cheered, her clapping her hands and him fist pumping the air. From there, they dragged Kakashi to the new dango place that had opened up, and Kakashi allowed himself to smile, even just the littlest bit.

Just this once.

**へのへのもへじ**

Meanwhile, Minato respectfully took a knee.

"No need to be so formal, Minato." The Third Hokage made a motion for the Namikaze to stand, and he did. "Now, what did you need? You said it was urgent."

"It is, Hokage-sama. It's about one of my students."

"Kakashi, is it?"

Minato stared quizzically. "You know?"

The Third waved a hand dismissively. "I've heard some interesting things about the boy recently. His medical reports, for one. He's been to the hospital a number of times in the past couple months when he's been reported to avoid the place like the plague. His chakra system is also… unusual."

Minato nodded. "I've read the latest medical reports, although I couldn't understand some of it. From what I could gather, his chakra system was severely damaged. It also seemed to be overcompensating to his left eye, which he now keeps covered up at all times."

"The medic nin were surprised the boy was alive," Hiruzen said. "It was as if he had died and been resurrected, judging from the scarring on his chakra system alone."

"That's what I thought too, but… there is no way that could have happened!" Minato almost looked defeated, the man was at such a loss. "Kakashi is only out of the village with me and my team, and at most we are on B-rank missions, but that's only been a handful of times. And there's no way that could have happened inside the village."

Hiruzen nodded solemnly. "Mystery surrounds this child now more than ever," he agreed, "but something tells me discussing his medical examination isn't the only reason you've come to me."

"Yes, there's something else." Minato paused, gathering his thoughts and formulating how to explain what happened the day prior. "Yesterday, my team… or rather, a few of Kakashi's classmates and Kakashi had an… incident. It's a bit much to explain, but Kakashi got really worked up over it, and he ended up revealing that damaged eye."

The Third leaned forward in his seat. "Was there something strange about this eye?"

"It… It looked as if it were a Sharingan," Minato admitted. "I thought it might have been a trick of the light, or my imagination, but Obito confirmed that he saw it too. It didn't look like a fully developed Sharingan, though, as if it were the shadow of one. And when I asked to look at his eye today, it looked like normal."

Hiruzen slowly processed what he learned. "That is strange indeed," he murmured from behind his folded hands. "Kakashi has no connection to the Uchiha."

"No, he doesn't."

"And you're sure it looked like a Sharingan?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. It had three tomoe."

"Three…" Hiruzen leaned back in his seat, turning to look out the large windows. "Only advanced Uchiha have unlocked three tomoe. Even if it were possible that Kakashi had some Uchiha blood, he should not be able to access the full power of the Sharingan."

"Usually, both Sharingan are unlocked at once, as well," Minato added, "but it was only in his left eye."

Hiruzen returned his gaze to Minato. "When did all of this start?"

Minato thought for a moment. "A few months ago. Kakashi missed training because he was sick."

"He missed training and wasn't in the hospital?"

"That's what I thought." Minato crossed his arms, his lips pursed and concentration weighing heavily on his brow. "Something is wrong, but Kakashi refuses to say a useful word to anyone. I'm not sure what to do at this point, Hokage-sama, which is why I'm bringing this to your attention."

The Third gave a slow nod. "I understand. This is quite a strange situation your student has found himself in, Minato."

"Unfortunately."

"To begin, I think we'll have Kakashi take an extensive medical examination. He's long overdue for one, anyway. We need to make sure he's physically healthy before we can begin to piece together what's given his body so much trauma."

Although Minato knew Kakashi would not like this news, he made no protest. This was for the best, after all, whether Kakashi liked it or not. "I'll tell him."

"Good." Hiruzen nodded. "Have him at the hospital by eight tomorrow morning. We'll figure out what to do next after the medical report comes in."

"Hai. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Of course. You're dismissed, Minato."

The Third returned to his work as Minato left the Hokage's office. A Root ANBU disappeared from the shadows, with information that he thought Danzo should like to know.


	11. Chapter 11

Truth be told, Kakashi actually liked sweets. He would never admit to this, as it was a useful excuse to remove himself from possible social interactions, but he didn't dislike them. They were certainly not his first choice of food, but his ninken knew him to sneak the occasional dango. So, when Rin and Obito brought him to the new dango shop that had just recently opened up, Kakashi decided not to complain.

Thankfully, his companions didn't leave space for any residing tension in the air. Obito and Rin quickly filled the time with their chatter, occasionally asking Kakashi what he thought on the matter, as insignificant as it was ⎼ and when he would answer rather than ignore them, their faces would light up. The sight of it would spark a little bit of warmth within Kakashi's chest, and he found himself actually enjoying the time he was spending with his classmates.

The questions that Minato had suggested to him, what felt so long ago now, were lingering in the back of his mind. Occasionally, he would glance at Rin's bracelet, or Obito's goggles, and he wondered: why did they wear those items so religiously? What manner of significance did they hold, if they held any?

"Kakashi?" Rin's voice brought him back to the present. He really needed to stop spacing out in the middle of conversations, he thought. "You were spacing out again. What are you always thinking about?"

He shrugged in response. "Maa…"

"Oh, come on, Bakakashi," Obito pestered. "You never tell us what's on your mind."

Kakashi decided to relent. "Well, I was thinking about your goggles." He looked to Rin. "And your bracelet."

"My bracelet?" Rin reflexively began to fiddle with it. Obito adjusted his goggles, frowning.

"What about them?" Obito asked. Kakashi could hear the hints of defensiveness in his tone, and, naturally, that only piqued his interest. Rather than showing that, though, the Hatake only shrugged.

"I just noticed you always wear them."

"And you were wondering why?" Rin asked, her gaze flicking from her bracelet to Kakashi. He gave her a nod in response.

Obito scoffed, crossing his arms. "Well, why should we tell you?" He grumbled. "You always keep secrets from us."

Kakashi thought on that. It was true that he kept many a secret from his teammates, let alone now that he was actually an adult flung half a lifetime back in time. He wanted to know their answers, though.

"What if I propose an exchange of information?" Kakashi suggested. That caught their attention immediately.

"An exchange?" Rin echoed.

"An exchange of _what?_" Obito clarified, eyeing Kakashi with wary interest.

Kakashi smiled. "Rin tells me about her bracelet, you tell me about your goggles, and I…" He leaned forward, just barely. Rin and Obito leaned forward twice as much, their eyes wide as saucers. "...will tell you about my mask."

Their jaws practically hit the floor.

"Deal," Obito spit out instantly. Any scrap of information that he could scrounge up on the Hatake prodigy he would take. Rin was equally as curious, and she nodded her agreement.

"Alright then. It's a deal." Kakashi leaned back again, his posture relaxed. "Who's going to go first?"

Rin fiddled again with her bracelet. "I can," she volunteered. "The bracelet was my mom's. She gave it to me the day I started at the Academy. She carved symbols onto the beads for strength, wisdom, and kindness." Rin hesitated. Obito and Kakashi waited patiently. "She… died, not too long after. She was really sick. So, this is what I have left of her."

"Oh, Rin." Obito was quick to comfort her, or try. He had the awkwardness of a pre-teen boy, and shifted in his seat, looking as if he wanted to reach out to her but didn't know if he should. He glanced at Kakashi, who gave an encouraging nod. He seemed briefly surprised but said nothing, instead taking Kakashi's silent advice and wrapping his arms around Rin.

"I'm so sorry," he said. A quiet sob came from their female teammate. "I didn't know."

Obito held her for a couple short minutes, and Kakashi glared daggers at whoever in the shop felt nosy enough to stare. Quickly, Rin pulled herself together, sniffling and wiping her eyes and nose with her sleeve.

"Thanks," she said, "and, sorry." She glanced at Kakashi, as if expecting to be reprimanded. "I know shinobi don't cry, but I…"

"I prefer to interpret that as shinobi don't show emotional weakness in battle," Kakashi hummed dully. "We're not in battle."

Both Obito and Rin seemed taken aback, but Obito was quick to move past it. "And it's your mom," the Uchiha added. "I get it."

Rin leaned back from Obito's embrace fully. He reluctantly let her go. "Thank you," she said again. "I didn't mean to get emotional. But, yeah… That's why I wear the bracelet all the time. It's a reminder of her."

The waitress stopped by the table, then. Kakashi half-wondered if she was simply doing her job or if she was as nosy as the other patrons. He asked her for hot tea for Rin, to calm her nerves, and she left. Then his single eye slid to Obito.

Obito gawked. "What? Why do I have to go next? You should go, Bakakashi, you're the one who made her _cry_⎼"

Kakashi tsked. "I didn't make her cry, the story did. And how do I know that, after I tell you about my mask, you'll still tell me about your goggles?"

The Uchiha groaned, smacking his head on the table. "Damn you and your paranoia. Fine, fine." He sat up again, readjusting his goggles. "My old lady⎼ I mean, my grandma gave them to me. She said my dad used to wear them all the time when he was my age, before he got his ninja headband. She said he used it to remind himself, whenever it got tough, that he was doing this for his clan and for the village. She gave them to me when I enrolled at the Academy."

"You have your hitae-ate now, though," Kakashi pointed out. "Why still wear them?"

"Well, same reason as Rin, I guess." Obito glanced to the girl beside him, a light flush creeping up on his cheeks. "It's nice to feel like I have part of my parents with me."

Kakashi mused over this for a moment. Was this why Minato had suggested he ask them about their belongings? Because it would give them more things in common? Kakashi was an orphan, as was Obito, and Rin was halfway there.

"Alright, your turn!" Obito demanded, standing up. "Why do you always wear that dumb mask all the time? Is something wrong with your face?"

Kakashi huffed, rolling his eye. "No, actually, I wear it because⎼"

"Wait." Rin set her hand on Obito's arm. Kakashi stopped, and both boys looked at her curiously. Obito sat down. "I know the deal was you tell us about your mask, but, um, do you think you could tell us about your eye, instead?" She asked shyly. "You've started covering it up recently, and that one time it made you pass out…"

Ah, Kakashi really should have known he wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "I'm sure you've been wanting to know about my mask since we met."

Obito had a look of fierce concentration on his face. Rin and Kakashi waited patiently for the Uchiha to arrive at his decision. Finally, the boy gave a firm nod. "As much as I want to know about your mask, I want to know about your eye. I could've sworn I saw a Sharingan in it yesterday, in the Forest of Death."

"No, no Sharingan," Kakashi replied smoothly. "I'm not a Uchiha. There's no way it could be that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that, but I also know what I saw."

"Would you rather I show it to you?"

Rin spoke up first. "Yes, please." Obito voiced his agreement.

"Alright, then." Kakashi pulled up his headband to reveal his closed eye. His left eye opened about halfway, and sure enough, it was just as gray as the other. "See? Nothing special about it." He closed his eye and replaced his headband to where it was, snuggly covering it.

"How come you didn't open your eye all the way?" Rin asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "It's sensitive."

"Sensitive?" Obito echoed.

"Stuff to do with my medical records." Kakashi waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it."

Rin frowned, peering at her silver-haired teammate questioninly. "Are your 'medical records' also why it made you pass out?"

"Yup."

Obito and Rin both let out a heavy sigh. They were getting answers, at least, so they couldn't complain⎼ even if they did wish the answers were a little more thorough. Neither of them noticed Kakashi's eye dart elsewhere, and they also didn't notice the near nonexistent chakra signature disappearing.

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm going to go home." Kakashi stood up. "Thanks for the dango."

"What? It's still daylight, what do you⎼"

Obito didn't get to finish, because Kakashi was already gone. He looked to Rin, who was as equally confused. They exchanged shrugs, assuming it was just Kakashi being Kakashi. At least they had learned something.

Little did they know, they weren't the only ones with more information.

**へのへのもへじ**

Kakashi took to the rooftops instantly. He was already too far behind, from those precious seconds excusing himself from Rin and Obito. But there, in the distance, he saw an ANBU agent darting silently across the rooftops. Without hesitation, he took off after.

Why was an ANBU agent eavesdropping on the conversation of a couple Genin and a Chunin? Sure, they were Namikaze Minato's team, but they hardly talked about their sensei during that short conversation. And, the ANBU left only after Kakashi disclosed the barest of information about his medical records.

He didn't like this. This little body was too inadequate, too. He was having trouble keeping up, barely keeping the ANBU in his sights, let alone catching up. Unless he channeled more chakra to his feet, which he was reluctant to do as it would alert the ANBU, he was going to lose his stalker.

Who was the ANBU reporting to, anyway? The Hokage, who already had access to every shinobi's medical records? Or Danzo, the shadow of Hiruzen, who controlled ROOT, the shadow of the ANBU?

The answer seemed obvious, and it worried Kakashi all the more. Since when had Danzo taken an interest in him? If his memory was correct, Danzo should have his hands full with Orochimaru and the experiments which would soon bring Tenzo into his life. Besides the one incident which resulted in his hospitalization, everything over the past couple of months should have stayed within Team Minato. There was always the possibility that ROOT had dug in deeply to the hospital as well, but what interest would they have in the hospital report of some Chunin? Kakashi was a prodigy, yes, but Genin and Chunin were injured on missions all the time. Had Danzo had his eye on him for this long, without his realization? As far as Kakashi knew, Danzo's interest in him had only bloomed after the death of Minato.

Kakashi found a dozen more questions on his already-filled plate. The only way he would get answers was if he managed to trail that ANBU. That was a big if, given his current physique. While nothing to be messed with, no training in the world could match up to someone of more or less equal skill and longer legs.

The ANBU dropped to the ground, and Kakashi did the same when he reached the spot. He could still sense the chakra signature, barely, and so he darted to the right, following blindly around the back of the hospital.

He came to an abrupt stop when the ANBU appeared behind him, pressing a kunai to his throat. "Hatake Kakashi," came a deep, rumbling voice that he didn't recognize. "You're more perceptive than I thought."

"I am a prodigy," Kakashi replied smoothly. His shoulders were not tense; there was no hiccup in his voice or tremble to his hands. The ANBU was curious to say the least, why the Chunin would not be begging for his life already. The fact that the Hatake had the balls to follow him was impressive enough. He was beginning to question if the prodigy was smart or idiotic.

Kakashi continued. "It's rude to look through someone's medical reports, you know. Danzo could've just asked me himself."

The ROOT agent stiffened near imperceptibly. "Cocky brat," he hissed. "You're lucky that⎼"

"That Danzo's interested in me, or else you would've slit my throat two minutes ago. Right?"

The kunai pulled away from his throat, and just as suddenly, the blunt end slammed into the back of his skull. Kakashi choked, his legs buckling. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

He really needed to stop pushing his luck.


	12. Chapter 12

The pain came first. It throbbed at the back of his skull, which felt itchy and tight with dried blood. Kakashi felt no chakra signatures around him, and so he dared to open his one eye. The room was empty, save for the cot Kakashi was lying on and a few other unused beds. It resembled the ANBU dormitories, where agents sometimes slept after missions if they were too physically exhausted or too mentally unstable to return home. Kakashi, however, knew he was not with the ANBU.

This was ROOT. He was sure of it.

He sat up, swinging his tiny legs off the bed. Not for the first time, he cursed this little body. What he wouldn't give for his grown capabilities! It would help him little now, in a compound filled with ROOT agents, but it could have saved his hide earlier.

Gingerly, Kakashi touched the back of his head and winced. It was sore and tender, and he could feel small clumps of dried blood.

He definitely needed to stop pushing his luck, but he had to get out of here somehow. He doubted that Danzo was very pleased with this sudden turn of events, especially considering how suddenly it all happened. There had been no one following him until today. Had the incident at the Forest of Death caught Danzo's attention? That was the only notable incident that Kakashi could think of.

A chakra signature approached, and Kakashi tensed, eyeing the door to the room. The signature paused in front of it before opening. The woman wore an ANBU mask.

"Hatake Kakashi. Follow me."

Kakashi knew that he was at a disadvantage and thus didn't try to fight. He hopped off his cot and trudged after the agent. She led him down a sterile, empty hall before stopping at another door. If she had been dumb enough to leave her back turned to him, he would have snapped her neck, but it seemed she wasn't an idiot after all.

"Go."

She pushed him into the room, which looked like an examination room at the hospital, only it lacked the decor.

Kakashi stopped a couple feet into the room, turning to face the ROOT operative. "If you think I'm going to sit here and be some lab rat⎼"

She promptly shut the door.

Kakashi began looking for a weapon.

He hadn't had many weapons on him to begin with, but every shinobi secretly carries some small arsenal in case of emergency. That, however, disappeared while he was unconscious. So he searched the cabinets for the small medical tools typically kept there, but he was out of luck, naturally. More likely than not, this was a room to examine mentally unstable agents and anything deadly wouldn't be kept here.

Great. He was in the nuts ward.

The door, too, was a no-go. With enough time and energy, Kakashi knew he could chidori through it, but he had no way of knowing if there were traps or seals waiting for him on the other side.

That meant his only option was waiting for whoever was going to walk through that door next. And, Kami forbid, if some lunatic doctor came in trying to stick him, he would unleash hell.

He fucking hated hospitals.

Resigned to his fate, for now, Kakashi leaned against the side walls, arms crossed, head tilted down towards his feet. He used the quiet to meditate and focus, as well as do a bodily check-up.

Besides the back of his head, physically he was fine. His chakra system still felt shot and rancid, like it had been since he opened his left eye at the Forest of Death. Although he didn't show it, he was fatigued. The feeling was eerily familiar to chakra exhaustion, and he felt like he was dying from Pein's attacks all over again, and yet he wasn't bedridden and he certainly wasn't kicking the bucket. Not to mention, his left eye was incredibly sore and sensitive. When he'd opened it at the Forest of Death yesterday, agony like lightning shot through every nerve in his skull. Thankfully, that blazing inferno died down to a slightly more bearable burning.

Kakashi could sleep for a week, but he didn't, because it would just make his teammates worry.

He scoffed. Getting kidnapped by ROOT was certainly making them worry more than if he just slept a lot more. That he could try to pass off as growth spurts, even if he wasn't growing. This? He would be lucky to get out of this alive, especially because he had absolutely no interest with working with Danzo.

Two chakra signatures approached – one Kakashi recognized as the woman from earlier and another that was new. The door opened, and the ANBU entered first, followed by a doctor.

The ANBU closed the door and stood in front of it. Kakashi eyed her and the doctor warily. The man was also wearing an ANBU mask, but everything about him made it obvious that he was no ANBU agent. Perhaps if Kakashi had not once been an agent of the organization himself, he would not have been able to distinguish a true ANBU from a fake.

"Sit down, please," the doctor asked. Kakashi didn't move. "Please," he repeated, "sit."

"What's your intention here?" Kakashi asked warily. The ANBU scoffed.

"That's none of your business. Do as you're told, brat, or else–"

The doctor waved the ANBU off. "Oh, no need for that. I'm not here to hurt you. I just need to do an examination."

"An examination?" Kakashi repeated. "Of what?"

"Your physical body, your chakra systems, your–"

The ANBU cut off the doctor. "He doesn't need to know all of that."

Damn, was she going to be such a nuisance this whole time? If he had to be here, he was going to wring it worth his time. No way would he let Danzo get all his information and leave _Kakashi_ of all people in the dark. "I'll comply willingly if you share your results with me," the boy offered. "Otherwise you're going to need at least four more ANBU operatives to keep me down."

His bluff was considered by doctor and agent, the latter of whom resigned reluctantly. She probably knew just as well four was an exaggeration, but it would be a pain anyway, and anything more difficult than necessary was preferred to remain out in the field and not at home. So Kakashi got on the table, and the exam began.

The doctor began by checking over his body as is and found nothing wrong other than the injury on the back of his head. Next came the most interesting part: the chakra examination. A warm green glow filled the bleak room, and Kakashi was slapped in the face with the realization of how _not_ Sakura that it was. He hadn't realized he'd become so accustomed to her soothing energy. Whereas hers felt like gently flowing water, filling and closing his wounds, the doctor's – like most ANBU medics' – felt like sandpaper, gripping the edges of his injuries and yanking them closed quickly and efficiently.

Nonetheless, Kakashi didn't complain, and his injury was sealed up before anything else. The doctor's chakra began to feel far more invasive, then, sinking deep into his chakra pathways and flowing like acid through them.

"This is… strange," the doctor mumbled. "I've never seen anything like this."

Kakashi and the ANBU waited expectantly for an elaboration, but the man gave none. The chakra moved through Kakashi's limbs and chest before reaching up towards his eye. Instinctively, he tensed, waiting for pain – and Kami did it come.

If the doctor's chakra felt like sandpaper before, it felt like a hot iron now. Pain exploded behind his eye, scraping and boiling and _burning_. Kakashi, however, did not cry out. He was trained better than that. But his whole body tensed, and he could not help his instinctual chakra flair in response. The doctor startled; the ANBU tensed. Immediately, the probing chakra vanished and the doctor glanced nervously between Kakashi and the ANBU.

The pain very, very slowly began to ebb away, but there was a stranger tingling within him. It was much quieter than the pain, but it was something new, and Kakashi latched onto it.

"Are you⎼" The doctor started. Kakashi cut him off.

"Do that again," the Hatake demanded.

"Again?" The man echoed. "But⎼"

"_Do it again."_

Perhaps the commanding ANBU leader and veteran Jonin in his voice came out, because even the ANBU seemed surprised and the doctor didn't question him. Reluctantly, the doctor lifted his hands to Kakashi's left eye, and the green glow filled the room once more.

The pain, which had barely faded, came back at full force. However, with the pain returned that odd sensation. It felt deeper than his nerves, as if in his chakra system, but it didn't feel as hollow as his system had been feeling as of late. Kakashi pushed through the pain, forcing himself to focus on that strange sensation. He latched onto it, as if he were gripping onto it, clutching it, pulling it to him. Faintly, he heard the doctor gasp, but he was too focused. The pain seemed to be giving away, like he was chipping away at a dam. What that dam contained, he didn't know, but instinct told him it needed to be removed.

Suddenly the doctor's chakra vanished. Kakashi jerked out of his trance with a soft gasp. His single eye zoned in immediately on the doctor, who looked out of breath.

"Open your left eye for me, please," the doctor requested.

Although Kakashi was still fighting insurmountable pain, he listened, cracking open his eye.

The ANBU inched closer, standing a couple feet from the doctor, both of whom looked at him with wide, stunned eyes. After a moment, the doctor reached into his pocket, fumbling until he pulled out a hand-sized mirror. Kakashi took it in both his hands, angling it towards his left eye.

Three tomoe spun lazily back at him, in a pale sea of red.

The Sharingan was very faint, oddly enough. His regular eye was still visible underneath it, like a strange shadow of Obito's Sharingan was placed over it.

"The fuck?" Kakashi whispered, gently touching the bone beneath his eye. He had known he experienced something like Obito's Sharingan in the Forest of Death yesterday, but he never actually had seen his eye like this before. By the time he had gotten to a mirror yesterday, his eye was too painful to open, let alone inspect.

He handed the mirror back to the doctor and waited expectantly. The ANBU was also waited, just as curious. Meanwhile, his left eye closed instinctively. His hands itched to pull his headband down over it, but that, too, was missing when he awoke.

"Well, I'll write up a more thorough report," the doctor started, "but you were absorbing my chakra quite… ferociously. It seems that your brain thinks you have a Sharingan ⎼ or, should have one, I suppose. It's funneling all available chakra to that eye, which explains why the rest of you is so depleted. Someone at your age, though, and not a Uchiha no less… you simply don't have the reserves for it."

He didn't have the reserves for a Sharingan when he was a fully-fledged Jonin _with_ a Sharingan. Really, he could have told the doctor that he didn't have enough chakra to sustain this. Instead of dwelling, though, he shifted focus."What can I do?" Kakashi asked.

The doctor hummed, moving his weight to another leg. "I'm not sure what will happen if you build up the chakra that is needed. If this continues for too long, you'll suffer irreparable damage to both of your eyes, and I know you've already been showing signs of it, judging by your latest medical report."

Kakashi didn't answer that one. He was quite good at keeping secrets, and he didn't like that medic-nin could figure out what his Sensei could not.

"Theoretically, if you manage to build your reserves and satisfy your brain's unusual activity, there's the chance that your eye could either return to normal, or… you may possibly have a fully functioning Sharingan. A psuedo-Sharingan, if you will." The doctor rubbed at his chin. "_Why_ your mind is doing this, though, is another question completely. As of right now, I have no means of answering it. No one may ever. That also includes how this eye might function while on enough chakra⎼"

Kakashi very well knew the reason his mind believed he had a Sharingan, but merely he shrugged in reply. "If I don't lose my eyesight, I'll be satisfied." He looked at the ANBU. "Will you take me to Danzo yet?"

The ANBU squinted at him through the eyes of the painted mask. "Punk," she grumbled, but there was less venom to it than he was expecting. "Yes, we're going to _Lord _Danzo. He wanted to see you straight away after your exam."

As the Hatake slid off the medical chair, the woman addressed the doctor. "Write up that report quickly. Lord Danzo will want to know the extent of Hatake's condition." Then, she turned to him. "Don't try anything," she warned, and Kakashi gave her a warm smile.

"Me? Try something?"

The ANBU growled, opening the door. She led a willing Kakashi down more hallways, and the grim underground cement soon gave way to something more hospitable: wooden floors, painted halls. It almost looked human, which was impressive for ANBU, let alone ROOT.

Soon they arrived at two large sliding doors. Two ROOT agents were stationed in front of them. "Fox," one greeted. "You've brought Hatake."

"I have," she replied. "Is Lord Danzo ready for us?"

"He's been waiting." The second ANBU rapped on the door in quick succession. Silence answered, and the two pulled open the doors just enough for them to enter. Kakashi followed behind Fox into a room that looked quite plain but felt grandeur.

Danzo sat in a plush chair in the center of the room, already with that fake smile on his face. Kami, did it take all the training and restraint in the world not to lunge at the man immediately. Everything Danzo has done ⎼ or, Kakashi supposed, _will do_ ⎼ made him one of the vilest men he ever had the displeasure of knowing. Although Danzo was not solely responsible for the slaughter of the Uchiha clan, Kakashi would never forgive him for it, nor for working with Orochimaru and experimenting on children. The only good thing to come of the man was Tenzo, and Kakashi was not even sure where Tenzo ⎼ Kinoe, currently ⎼ was. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to distract himself with his tremendous worry for his dear friend. Not right now, at least.

"Lord Danzo." Fox knelt, bowing her head. Kakashi did the same.

"Thank you, Fox," Danzo rasped. His voice sounded like grating smoke. "You are dismissed."

She seemed to want to protest but thought better of it. Silently, she vanished elsewhere, and it was just Kakashi and the shadow of the Hokage in the room.

"Stand."

Kakashi stood. His one eye locked with one of Danzo's. He knew a Sharingan lay hidden beneath the eyepatch, and although it was old and stolen, it made Danzo even more of a threat. He had to be very cautious, especially with the plan that he had begun to formulate after the medical exam.

Danzo shifted his wooden cane to between his legs. Both hands rested on the staff, one over the other. "You're a very interesting one, Hatake Kakashi. I would like to know how you became wise to me. Someone of your calibur shouldn't have sensed my agent, let alone be able to track them, and yet you did anyway. On top of that, you asked for me specifically. You know of the underground ANBU ⎼ my ROOT agents."

There was no point in lying. "I do."

"Then tell me." Danzo stood. His presence was powerful. His glare alone seemed as if trying to beat submission into the Chunin before him. "How does a Chunin such as yourself learn of my operations? Your very sensei, who is in line to be the Yondaime, is unaware."

"Forgive me, Lord Danzo, but my secrets stay with me," Kakashi replied. He added, "I have no interest in meeting death today." Or, rather, reuniting with death. He knew all too well that Danzo would be more than willing to dispose of any threat, and Kakashi had a bullseye painted on him since he arrived in this time.

Carefully concealed anger flashed through the man's dead eye. "You're too important to kill, unfortunately."

"I'm also valuable enough to not meet with a misfortunate accident," he baited.

At this, Danzo raised an eyebrow. "You're only valuable if you manage to develop a Sharingan."

"I believe I can prove you otherwise, sir."

It seemed that the Shimura had his interest piqued. Danzo sat once more, looking pleasantly interested. "What, exactly, are you proposing, Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi prayed this worked. "I suggest we work together. I need to develop my skills quicker and better than I can do on my own or with my team, if I'm going to keep my eyesight and this pseudo-Sharingan. I would like to come here to train with your agents until my skill is suitable. In return, your secrets will follow me to the grave ⎼ and, should my development please you, I might join your ranks. I only ask that I continue my training and missions with Team Minato as normal, as not to arouse suspicions."

Silence reigned in the room. Kakashi forced his body not to show any signs of tension or anxiety under Danzo's scrutinous stare. Instead, he remained calm and exuded a quiet confidence. There should be no reason for Danzo to reject his offer. In his own time, Danzo had become interested in Kakashi's darkness, and, even if his body and his time were different, he carried that with him wherever he went. Rin, Obito, and Minato's deaths would cling to him until he died, truly, and found peace ⎼ unless he managed to save them in this time.

"There is a darkness within you," Danzo hummed. It was almost predictable, what he was going to say next. "I agree to your deal, Hatake. You may come here whenever the sun is set. I don't want to see your face when the day is upon us."

Kakashi was sure, though, that Danzo would hear plenty of him during the day. To think that he wouldn't have ROOT tailing him for the next two months would be ludicrous.

He dipped his head respectfully. "Thank you, sir. May I be excused? My team will be worried if I'm late to training."

Danzo waved a hand dismissively. "Go. You're dismissed."

Then, Kakashi vanished from the hidden grounds. The sun was already up, and he needed to hurry if he was planning to make it on time. He sped through the Hidden Leaf, his newfound alliance ⎼ and Kannabi Bridge ⎼ weighing heavily on his mind.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: hi guys! i'm so happy you're enjoying my story. i'm sorry i don't communicate with you guys so much, but there's no end notes section and i dont like to disrupt the story. all this to say you can find me on AO3 under dogloser and on tumblr as doggoneloser ! i have more stories and WIPs on AO3 and i would love for anyone to shoot me a message on my tumblr if you'd like to chat. anyway, enjoy the update!

Kakashi jumped down from a tree overlooking the training grounds, landing beside Minato, Rin, and Obito. And, if Obito had arrived here before he had, he needed no other indicator that he was late. "Hey guys." Kakashi gave a lazy, two-fingered salute in greeting to his teammates, who were all looking at him oddly.

"Kakashi," Minato greeted in a hum. "I never thought I would say this, but you're late."

"Yeah!" Obito echoed, although much, much louder. "You're late, Bakakashi! What gives?!"

"Ah, well." Kakashi rubbed at the back of his head, giving the team an awkward smile. Everyone waited for his response, but he gave none and was not planning on giving one. After a long moment, they seemed to realize that. Obito opened his mouth to complain, but Minato silenced him with a wave.

"Let's just start training, huh?" Their sensei said. All the students agreed. "Today we're going to be working on your ninjutsu and target practice, so I hope you all brought your A-game. Ninjutsu's up first! Everyone spread out, give each other some room."

The three of them jumped back as instructed and waited for further instruction. To each of them, their sensei tossed a sealed scroll. Obito fumbled with it midair, dropped it, and scooped it up again; Rin caught it with her arms; Kakashi snatched his from the air one-handedly.

"Inside those scrolls are a ninjutsu spell unique to your chakra natures," Minato said. "I want you to learn these and try to perfect them. Admittedly, they're a little out of your league… but I've seen your progress over these past few months, and I think you all have what it takes to learn a difficult jutsu like this." The Namikaze smiled kindly at his students. Kakashi could have guessed what was coming next; he'd used it on his own students often enough. "I have some business to attend to, so it's just going to be you guys out here for a while. Make sure not to push yourselves too hard, and rest accordingly. I'll be back around noon to check in. Have fun!"

With that, Minato disappeared in a blur. All three of Team Minato sighed, glanced at each other, and opened their scrolls.

Kakashi's scroll was a lightning technique, and, admittedly, he was interested. His own signature lightning move was unique to himself ⎼ and Sasuke, but he supposed that wasn't the case anymore ⎼ and he had crafted many other techniques based off of the Chidori. Those attacks were his most common lightning arsenal, but a new move would be quite helpful.

A tingle near his shoulder encouraged Kakashi to turn his head. Obito stood behind him, leaning over with wide, curious eyes. "What'd you get? Huh?" He questioned. "A lightning scroll? What's the move?"

"Shouldn't you be practicing your own scroll?" Kakashi drawled, but he knew the truth. Obito was probably overwhelmed with the contents of the Jonin-level jutsu.

"I-I can master that easy fire jutsu no problem! I'm just making sure you're not getting left in my dust, Bakakashi."

Kakashi snickered, amused, but he decided to humor his friend.

"It's essentially a lightning whip technique," he explained. "I draw chakra into my fingers, form it into lightning, and extend it. In theory, it's simple, but I'm sure the execution isn't so easy." Really, the idea behind the jutsu was so simple, Kakashi wondered why he didn't think it up himself before.

Rin's voice called over to them. "What are you two muttering about over there? We're supposed to be practicing!"

Obito looked away from the scroll to answer her back. "Kakashi's showing me his scroll! What do you have, Rin?"

"It's called Stone Senbon!"

"That's so cool! Mine's a fire jutsu that… uh… I think it's like bullets."

Kakashi knew both of those techniques ⎼ not just by word of mouth, either, but they were both ones that he could use himself. "Let me see your scroll, Obito," Hatake hummed. Obito eyed him warily, but complied anyway. He left Kakashi's scroll there and fetched his own. At the same time, Rin brought her scroll and joined them, until Team Minato sat in a small circle.

"Mm." Kakashi looked over Obito's scroll first, and Obito was looking over his shoulder at it, too.

"It's all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. I can't even tell what it's trying to say."

"You weren't wrong with the idea of fire bullets." Kakashi handed the scroll back. "Think of it like your fireball jutsu, but in smaller, faster bursts."

Obito jumped up with his scroll, filled with energy. "Alright! Time to try it out! Thanks, Bakakashi!" He rushed away to the lakeside, where practicing any fire jutsu was safest.

Rin scooted closer in Obito's absence. "Do you think you can help me with mine, too, Kakashi?" She asked shyly. He hummed again, nodded, and took her scroll. After a minute of looking over it, he handed it back to her.

"It's another jutsu simple in theory. You have senbon on you, don't you?"

"I do." Rin dug in her pouch, pulling out her senbon. Kakashi took one gently in his fingers.

"Senbon are durable, useful for medical jutsu. They can pierce skin and muscle just fine enough, but when faced with something like a tree…" Kakashi expertly threw it, and it stuck into the bark. "It doesn't go all the way through. Using your earth jutsu, though, you can harden these into being as durable as stone."

"Wow!" Rin smiled, and it was dazzling. "Thank you Kakashi. I should go practice now." She gathered her things and stood up, but before she left, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you would make a great sensei one day, you know."

He said nothing in response, and she left him to do his own practicing. Briefly he thought of his own team ⎼ Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. He missed them dearly. When he had first found himself back in the past, he thought he would stop at nothing to return to them. But very soon he found himself with a new resolve: he would save Obito, Rin, Minato and Kushina. And, if Minato-sensei remained as the Yondaime, perhaps the Uchiha would have never been slaughtered. It would create a better future for Naruto and Sasuke, one he could never provide them.

He would remain here until death took him, and he would save _both_ his teams.

Refreshed with his resolve, Kakashi began his practice. Not too surprisingly, the technique was actually simple to create. On his first try he found himself with a whip of lightning in his fingers. Wielding it, however, was a different story. Typically, a ninjutsu would take Kakashi little to no time at all to master, but, shoved back into his childhood body as he were, nothing about the situation was typical.

He was briefly reminded of the chakra damage and scarring within his system. Between the medical exam he had been given near immediately after he arrived in the past and the one the night prior, he knew more about his new-old body than ever ⎼ and yet, he still felt as if he didn't know enough. Death had left a permanent scar on his chakra system even into the past, and his chakra was constantly diverted to his left eye, creating a pseudo-sharingan in Obito's replacement. At least, even though he didn't have answers, Kakashi had steps to take: increase his chakra reserves so that the pseudo eye could function like a normal Sharingan.

Tonight would be another sleepless night, or near-sleepless, then. Kakashi was going to make good on his new alliance with Danzo as soon as possible, so, as soon as the sun set, he would be sneaking to ROOT HQ. Maybe there, this new lightning jutsu would come in handy.

The Lightning Whip took Kakashi a solid half-hour to use comfortably and accurately. Occasionally, he still hit some snags ⎼ such as forgetting how far his chakra could extend, since his chakra reserves were lower than they had been when he was in his thirty-year-old body, and the whip would fizzle out of existence before it hit its target. That was an easy fix, though, and within the hour Kakashi could say he had it comfortably mastered.

Obito and Rin were not faring as well as he was. While he was sure that Obito noticed first, it was Rin who first called him over to ask for more help.

Letting the whip dissipate from his hand, Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered over. "Maa, what's got you stuck, Rin?" He asked. She showed him a pile of broken senbon, near crumbled into dust.

"I can't get it to stick," she explained. "I cover the senbon with the earth jutsu just fine, but it's too weak, and it just falls apart like dust."

Kakashi squatted down beside her, his single eye flicking between her face and her hands. "Show me."

Rin complied, her hands moving slowly and carefully as she worked to get the signs correct. The senbon solidified, as she said, but it only held for a minute before falling apart.

"I would've thought a medic-nin would have been better at this," Kakashi mused.

Rin looked as if she wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. "What does having to be a medic-nin have to do with this?" She asked.

Kakashi nodded, mostly to himself, realizing the problem. "You've never tried to incorporate your medical skills into anything offensive," he commented, and she nodded again, confirming his theory. "It's the same process, just a different outcome. Your chakra control needs to be steady. Think of when you walk up a tree."

"The flow of chakra has to be the perfect mix."

"Exactly."

He picked up two of her senbon. "If you put too much chakra into it…" Kakashi copied the motions he had seen her use, purposefully putting too much chakra into the senbon. The tool shattered in his hands, sharp stones clattering to the earth. "...Then the senbon can't handle it. But if you use too little⎼"

"⎼There's not enough to keep it holding together." Rin gave a sharp nod, her eyes bright. "Thank you, Kakashi! I'll try that."

He waved dismissively. Before he could say anything, Rin continued, "Maybe you should see if Obito needs any help. I don't think he's gotten his down, either."

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, looking at Obito. The Uchiha's body language was tense. No doubt the boy was frustrated. "Do you really think he'd want my help?"

"He asked you for it earlier."

"Maa. I suppose you're right." Kakashi stood, his hands returning to his pockets. "As long as you don't start calling me Kakashi-sensei."

Rin raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was based solely off her earlier comment. She looked back down to her senbon, fiddling with it. "I mean, I do think you could be a great Jonin-sensei. Any Genin would be…" She looked up again, and Kakashi was already across the training ground. He probably hadn't heard a word. Still, she smiled to herself. "They'd be lucky to have you."

On the lakeshore, Kakashi stepped over to Obito, watching as the boy tried and tried again to get a succession of small fireballs. Even from several feet away, he could see the burns on Obito's lips and fingers, but the Uchiha was far too stubborn to give up from that alone.

"What do you want, Bakakashi?" Asked the other, anger and irritation poorly hidden in his voice. Kakashi didn't respond, merely watching as Obito attempted the jutsu again. He managed about three fireballs, one after the after, just about a quarter the size of a regular Fireball jutsu, before the attack sputtered out and died on his lips. Apparently, Kakashi's silence was no help, and Obito whirled on him. "If you're just here to gloat⎼"

Kakashi cut him off. "Check your breathing."

"What?" The advice sent Obito off-kilter, distracting him from his mounting anger. "My breathing?"

"You're used to taking a deep breath for the regular Fireball jutsu and releasing it in one exhale. That's a good way to make one big flame, but not so ideal for small bursts."

Obito glanced warily at him, but when Kakashi said no more, he turned back to the lake and tried again. The shift in his jutsu was clear when he was concentrating on his breathing. Although not perfect, the flame bursts were more controlled, and Kakashi counted seven before the attack died out. Obito turned to him, then, looking unsure if he should say thank you or not.

"This better not be you showing off again," he warned. Kakashi held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just here to help. We all need to be better, as a team. If I can help, why shouldn't I?"

Obito didn't seem satisfied. "You've never wanted to help _before_."

_I hadn't experienced your deaths before_, Kakashi wanted to reply. Instead, he swallowed it down and locked the thought away, giving Obito a cheery eye-smile. "Well, I want to help now. You're welcome, by the way."

Before he could get a reply, Kakashi retreated to work on his own jutsu until Minato returned, at noon and with bento boxes. The Namikaze appeared in the center of the training field, and his three students stopped what they were doing to sit and eat with him. After lunch was target practice. Minato watched with a careful eye as they all used their new jutsu to hit the targets, and he was more than pleased with the results.

"You all worked really hard today!" Minato cheered, his smile so bright it was blinding. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay and help, but it doesn't look like you needed my help at all!"

"Kakashi helped us," Rin said, before Kakashi could glare warningly. Just because he liked helping his team did not mean that he wanted to be brought into the spotlight for it, and spotlight was Minato's specialty.

"Oh? Did he?" Their sensei looked over the three of them curiously. "Both of you?"

Obito shifted when Minato's gaze rested on him. "Yeah."

Rin was surely aware of the uncomfortable exchange, but she acted as if she weren't. "I think Kakashi should be a Jonin-sensei one day, Sensei!"

"Huh." Minato rubbed at his chin, a curious (evil, in Kakashi's opinion) look in his eye. "Kakashi-sensei, huh? How does that sound?"

"I'd rather not," Kakashi lied, but his drawl was overpowered by Obito's boisterous laughter.

"Kakashi!" He exclaimed, pulling up his goggles to wipe at his eyes. "A sensei!"

Rin frowned, leaning over and pulling on Obito's ear. "Hey," she scolded, "that's not nice." Kakashi watched the exchange apathetically, listening to Obito's even louder whines as Rin tugged at his ear, and he thought of a pink-haired kunoichi and a blond who was, by far, the loudest. Minato soon tugged them apart.

"I'm glad to see you all getting along so well." Minato chuckled, ruffling Obito and Rin's hair. Kakashi swiftly ducked out of the way when the Namikaze reached for his head to do the same. "You all did great today. Go home and get some rest, and I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Hai, Sensei!" Came their unified response. All three of them bowed before turning away, but Minato called for Kakashi to stay. Rin and Obito glanced at each other before looking at Kakashi ⎼ it was clear that they had wanted him to do something with them, like barbeque or dango. All Kakashi wanted to do right now was sleep, so he waved his teammates on and turned back to Minato.

"What is it, Sensei?" He asked, hands in his pockets and a slouch to his shoulders.

"I meant to tell you this morning," Minato began, "but you're overdue for a medical examination."

Kakashi hummed, scuffing the dirt with his sandal. He couldn't tell his sensei that he had just been examined by a secret ANBU organization the night prior, but he would also do everything in his power to avoid another exam for another several years, at least. "Alright." He nodded. "I'll head to the hospital, then. I assume they're expecting me?"

If Minato was surprised that Kakashi wasn't putting up much of a fight about going to the hospital, he didn't show it. "They are."

"I should get going then." The Hatake turned to leave, but, once again, he was stopped by his sensei before he could take more than a step away.

"Kakashi-sensei, huh?"

Kakashi froze. Naruto's voice sounded nothing like Minato's, and yet, when he turned around yet again, he was expecting a different blond shinobi. He forced the tension from his shoulders, telling himself that he would see Naruto again, as well as Sakura and Sasuke, even if it meant reliving decades.

"I was just helping them, Sensei," Kakashi replied. "I finished early."

Minato smiled, and this time, when he moved to ruffle Kakashi's hair, the boy was too slow to move away. "I know I already said this, but I really am glad to see you all getting along. What would you think about being a Jonin-sensei one day, huh?"

Kakashi grunted, shoving Minato's hand off his hair. He fixed it ⎼ although it looked just as messy as ever, sticking up in all directions like it did. "I don't think I'm sensei material."

"Rin and Obito said you helped them both just fine."

"They're not _pre-Genin_." He retorted. "I've seen how most of the Academy students are, Sensei. They're hopeless."

Minato's head cocked to the side. "Now, why would you think that?"

Kakashi paused. He thought back to right after he had been dismissed from ANBU, after a decade of his servitude, in order to be a Jonin-sensei. Every single team he was assigned he had failed, because none of them knew what teamwork was. They would have been slaughtered in the battlefield, and it would have been Kakashi's fault.

Then again, Minato saw that very same lack of teamwork in Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, that day with the bell test, and he had passed them all anyway.

He decided not to answer, and Minato didn't push. "It's just something to think about, Kakashi."

Kakashi bowed. "I really should get going." He didn't think he could explain that the only team he belonged with was Team Minato, Team Kakashi, or Team Ro.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Kakashi. Make sure to get some rest."

With that, they parted ways. Kakashi made for the hospital, just in case Minato was making sure that he was actually going to the hospital, but by the time he reached the large building he knew he wasn't being followed ⎼ well, except for ROOT agents. They were hard to miss, but they were good, especially if Namikaze Minato hadn't sensed them. Or perhaps he had, but a Hokage-in-training certainly wouldn't have thought that ANBU was following his twelve-year-old prodigy.

Kakashi turned on his heel and headed home, deciding to take a longer, leisurely route to his old apartment. He didn't need a bigger apartment, but he thought he would like the one that he had begun staying at after the Kyuubi attack. The only reason he had moved when he was a teen was because the Nine Tailed Fox had destroyed his current apartment complex, but the new building had become the closest thing to home for him. For now, though, the old one would have to do.

He walked up the side of the building to the seventh floor, the one highest for this complex. More often than not, Kakashi traveled by rooftop, and having his apartment right below one was helpful. After the Kyuubi attacked and his move, the highest floor became even more of a blessing and nuisance. Dragging himself home, wounded and bleeding after an ANBU mission, was fairly easy, but he couldn't count the number of times he'd jerked awake in a near-panic because some shinobi decided to use his ceiling as a springboard.

Before he removed the ward to his home, Kakashi took a silent surveillance check. Two ROOT agents were nearby, one on the rooftop across the street and the other kitty corner to his apartment. ANBU always traveled in pairs, so he knew there wouldn't be a third, but he scanned for one anyway and was pleased when the search came up empty.

Kakashi hummed to himself, removing the wards and opening the door to his apartment. But, before he entered, he turned, his single eye locking in on the position of the first ANBU. He couldn't see the cloaked agent, but he knew he was there. His eye curved up in a smile, and he waved to the empty rooftop, then turned and did the same to the second ANBU. He felt both their chakra flicker briefly in surprise. They were clearly not expecting a Chunin to be able to sense them, let alone pinpoint their locations. Little did they know this Chunin was a decade-old ANBU veteran.

Inside his little apartment, Kakashi closed and locked the door behind him. His hands flashed in a quick series of seals; he bit his thumb and slammed it on the floor. Billowing smoke appeared and dissipated, revealing all eight ninken.

The ninja dogs immediately realized they were not in any dangerous situation and began to stroll around the apartment, finding a comfortable spot to sleep. Pakkun remained at Kakashi's feet, head tilted to the side curiously.

"Boss," greeted the pug gruffly, "mind telling us why you've got ANBU following you?"

Kakashi smiled, squatting down and petting the loyal little dog. "I had a chat with Danzo last night," he answered. "He doesn't trust me yet, so I've got some ROOT on my tail."

"And why," Pakkun asked, "did you talk with Danzo?"

The shinobi wrapped his hands around the pug, picking him up as he stood. "I need his help." Kakashi hummed as he started towards his bedroom. The other ninken were already there, some on his bed, some on the floor. He set Pakkun down and climbed over the covers, settling his arms behind his head. He was barely still when Pakkun climbed onto his stomach, curling up.

Pakkun knew better than to press information out of the Hatake, but that didn't mean he had to like whatever his brat had going on. "Just be careful, Pup."

Kakashi scoffed. "You haven't called me Pup in a long time." His hand laid over Pakkun's head, beginning a lazy scratch behind his ears.

"You haven't looked like a Pup in a long time."

"Mm. I'm still me."

"Which means you're still as reckless as ever."

Kakashi's quiet laughter echoed throughout the apartment. Neither said anymore after that, and they soon drifted to a peaceful, restful sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: hello everyone! sorry for the long wait and thank you for the comments! i hope you all enjoy. follow my tumblr for more out of story updates: doggoneloser

When Kakashi woke again, the sun was setting. Most of his ninken were still sleeping, although some of them were up and about, stretching, sniffing for food. Bisuke and Guruko were play-fighting on the floor, snipping at each other, showing their bellies and softly growling. Pakkun was still sleeping soundly on Kakashi's belly.

As much as he would have enjoyed to lounge around with his ninken, he had work to do ⎼ or, rather, he had training to do. Gently, he moved Pakkun from his stomach and onto the bed beside him. The pug stirred, grumbled, and tucked his snout back underneath his paws, content to remain asleep a while longer.

The other dogs, however, noticed Kakashi getting out of bed and were more than happy to jump up and join him. He mumbled a good morning to them and received little snickers in reply, one or two "_Kakashi, the sun is literally setting" _among them as well.

He prepared a light meal for himself in the span of a few minutes. Eating a heavy meal was not Kakashi's idea of a good time, especially when he was about to go face off against Danzo's ROOT agents in his little body. But, he needed the energy, especially after training earlier that day. Maybe he would be able to incorporate his new jutsu into this upcoming practice. While he was not expecting himself to fail against the ROOT agents, Kakashi doubted that the training would prove easy by any means. Perhaps, if he had his proper body, he could wipe the floor with them.

Unfortunately, he did not have his proper body.

But Kakashi had learned to roll with the punches throughout his whole life, and so this was just another trial that he had to adapt to and then overcome. It was only a matter of time, now. Time was ticking away until he either had a new Sharingan or went blind ⎼ ticking away until the Kannabi Bridge mission, rapidly approaching.

He dressed in ANBU gear, so wrong in ways that he could not begin to explain. Danzo had an agent deliver the gear not too long after they made their alliance. Apparently, even though Kakashi was not going to be sent out on missions, Danzo wanted him to wear it. Kakashi supposed not just anyone could get free training at ROOT, so it was for the best.

But, staring down at his Hound mask, Kakashi, for a moment, wondered if he was backtracking. And then he remembered why he was doing this ⎼ so that he would never have to pick up the Hound mask for the same reasons he did the first time around. He was doing this for Rin, Obito, and Minato-sensei.

The mask fit like a second skin, like it always did.

Kakashi bid his dogs goodbye, promising to return later with some yummy breakfast for the lot of them, and then he took off swiftly into the night.

Minutes later, his feet landed silently outside the secretive building. The doors opened for him, and Kakashi entered without making a sound. His steps yielded no footfalls, nor his breathing any disturbance to the air.

The ROOT headquarters were not a place that Kakashi was intimately familiar with, not like he had been with the regular ANBU areas. He knew the layout decently enough, assuming that it had not undergone a massive change before he had met Tenzo, and so he led himself through the weaving, grey walls and dimly lit corridors. When he arrived at the training grounds, he filed away the information that, at the very least, most of ROOT was the same as when he was older. It would be useful to know, when the time came.

Stepping out onto the training area, Kakashi looked around, feeling strangely. Here he was, in a child's body, and in ROOT headquarters. A part of him insisted that this was home, this was where he belonged, but it didn't feel like home as much as it used to. In his teen years, ANBU was his home because it was all he had. But then he grew up, and he made friends, and he got a team of his own.

Looking around, Kakashi realized he had outgrown ANBU.

He wasn't upset with the realization.

"Who's this brat?" Someone asked. A few ROOT agents had stopped in their sparring to turn and look at him quizzically or scathingly. Their stares didn't bother Kakashi. He held his bored demeanor.

"I'm here to train," Kakashi replied in monotone. "I'm a new recruit."

"A new recruit?" A different agent with a boar mask perked up and stepped closer, inspecting the Hatake..

"Is there an echo?" Came the Hatake's monotone drawl.

Boar bristled while others laughed. Embarrassed, the ANBU yanked out a kunai and twirled it quickly in his fingers. "You wanna say that again?" He seethed. "I'll pummel you. You don't belong here, kid."

Kakashi refrained from sighing. He had just stepped foot in the training grounds and was already being hazed. But he fit into the Hound persona like putting on a pair of worn jeans; they don't fit quite right anymore, but he could remember how much they used to.

"I can show you that I do."

He shifted into a defensive stance. Boar snarled, flipping his kunai into an offensive position. He rushed Kakashi, leaving an opening on his left. Hatake ducked his head, snagged his own kunai from his pouch, and drove it into the material just enough to catch, but not to wound the agent. He lifted his knee at the exact same time, counteracting the momentum from Boar, and tackled the man to the ground. The kunai pinned his clothing to the floor. Before Boar could move, Kakashi slammed kunai into pinpoints of the rest of his clothes.

Boar blinked behind his mask, and Kakashi stood up and stepped back.

"Is that good enough?" Kakashi asked, with a smirk in his tone.

Boar growled, clearly annoyed, but he relented and didn't struggle against the kunai. "Fine. Someone get me out of these."

Another ROOT agent, wearing a Crane mask, snickered and stepped forward, plucking the weapons from his clothing and tossing them back to Kakashi, which he caught and put away.

"If that was a mission, you would have been dead there, Boar," Crane remarked. He grabbed Boar's hand and heaved him to his feet.

"Lucky that it wasn't a mission, then," came Boar's reply.

This time, Crane turned his attention to Kakashi, who stiffened almost imperceptibly. Something about Crane's demeanor told Kakashi that he wasn't the average ANBU underling. He had the pose of team leader, a commander, and he was sizing Kakashi up.

If he didn't make a good impression, Kakashi could kiss training here goodbye. Danzo might have allowed him here, but if the actual agents didn't like him, no one would be wanting to spar with him. He was in a fragile diplomatic space; he couldn't appear too weak nor too strong. He needed to prove that he belonged here but that he wasn't going to be coming for anyone's throat or title.

"You have the Hound mask," Crane observed, stepping closer. Kakashi nodded. "What makes you the Hound, hm?"

"Goal-orientated, sir. I also make use of ninken."

Although Kakashi couldn't see it, he could sense the smile from Crane, or at least hear it in his voice.

"And you've already distinguished that I'm one of the leaders here. Smart. How many ninken?"

"Eight, sir."

"Impressive for a boy. So, once you pick up a trail, you don't let it go, hm?"

"That's correct."

Crane spun on his heel. Many of the nearby ROOT agents had their eyes on the commander, and Kakashi. "What do you say we welcome the new recruit? Who would like to go first?"

A woman in a vulture mask stepped forward. Her hair was as black as the unforgiving eyes through her mask. Kakashi assumed she was a veteran. Very few had that particular posture. Crane turned his attention back to Kakashi.

"You up to the challenge?"

"Of course."

"Then let's get started."

The ANBU all shifted. Vulture led Kakashi to training area four, which had every element ⎼ forestry, pools of water, and fire basins. Clearly, she wasn't looking for him to be at a disadvantage, and Kakashi respected that. If a win to mean anything, each opponent needed to be fighting at his or her best. At least, such was the case for a non-lethal win. On a mission, anything goes.

Kakashi and Vulture stood across from each other, only a handful of paces between them. This arrangement would allow either of them to move in closer or create distance, depending on the preferred fighting style. The other agents gathered around the training ground, eager to see how the newbie would fair.

Crane stood with the other agents, close to the middle of the field. Kakashi decided not to pay him any mind. He had to stay focused in this match. While he doubted that Vulture would kill him, she would most definitely have the same lethal energy as any of them would have.

Briefly, he remembered telling Team Kakashi to attack him as if they were trying to kill him.

"Start!" Crane boomed. Vulture leaped into action.

She retreated to the treetops. A long-range fighter, then. Kakashi was reluctant to reveal his entire arsenal to the agents, especially if he was not going to be sent on missions with them, and even more so if he could expect to make enemies out of them in the future, when he would inevitably seek Danzo's head. So he was going to do his best to make this a closer fight. If he could get her in range of the Chidori, even if he didn't use the move on her, she would be forced to surrender.

Kakashi gave chase to the thicket of trees, pulling out a kunai and holding it at the ready. He had to be prepared for anything.

His ears picked up the distinct sound of something trying to be nothing ⎼ a stealthy attack, attempting to blend in with its surroundings, but something could never fully be nothing. He whirled around and jumped out of the way of a shadow stretching across the ground. A Nara, then. If he was caught by that shadow, he would be done for.

Kakashi flipped backwards, landing sideways on a tree, and the shadow pursued him still. In a forest with such a thick canopy, Vulture had plenty of opportunity to use her shadow jutsus. It made a difference, but Kakashi wasn't planning on running away for the entire fight.

As the shadow sped up the trunk of the tree, Kakashi sent chakra to his feet and kicked off of the trunk, sending him flying in the direction the shadow was coming from. Vulture had to have him in her sights if she could chase after him with the shadow, meaning she was likely in the treetops. Not to mention, the shadow's trail led directly to her. If he could follow it without getting caught, he could have her cornered in a hand-to-hand combat.

Dodging the shadow was pesky work but more or less easy. Vulture couldn't fire off any kunai or shuriken while she was focusing on her shadow, unless she already planted them for the shadow's arms to grab, but Kakashi didn't see any. He doubted she had much time to prepare for that, anyway.

The shadow lunged for his leg, and Kakashi jumped, spinning in midair, and spat a fireball jutsu at it. The light forced the shadow to stop dead in its tracks, and Kakashi recentered himself, speeding towards Vulture.

At the base of one tall oak, he sped up the trunk, finding her lurking among the branches.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, breaking her jutsu to quickly grab a kunai and defend against Kakashi's attacks.

They went blow for blow, deflecting each other's attacks in a stalemate for several seconds. With his free hand, Kakashi reached for his shuriken. Even though they were long-distance weapons, in his years of experience, he had learned how to optimize them in close quarters.

Kakashi launched them at Vulture while she was still inches away, giving her no opportunity to dodge. They pierced her shoulder and the side of her torso, and she hissed, backing out of the hand-to-hand. She dropped down the side of the tree, landing on the grass and beginning her retreat deeper into the forest. In attempt to drive him back, she created a mud wall.

Kakashi's Chidori chirped to life. He threw himself down the tree, exploding through the earth jutsu without so much as breaking a sweat. The world passed by in a blur as he fed chakra to his feet, sending him flying after Vulture, in his sights and desperate to put distance between them. Kakashi breathed heavily, feeling the drain on his chakra as his pseudo-Sharingan swirled to life, giving him utmost clarity.

She was his prey, and he had caught her scent.

She wasn't getting away from the Hound.

He barreled after her, gaining ground quickly. No matter which way she zigzagged or what jutsu or weapons she threw at him, Hound was undeterred. He ducked and dodged and closed the gap.

Vulture was out of breath, and out of time. She spun around to gage how close he was and gasped when she realized that he was right on top of her.

Hound slammed her into the trunk of a tree with his left hand, the Chidori poised at her chest. The heat of the lightning singed her clothing. The blood-red Sharingan swirled dangerously in his left eye.

"Surrender." Hound's voice was dark and threatening. Vulture didn't waste a beat to think about what would happen if she didn't give up.

"I surrender," she whispered. Then, she swallowed and louder, said, "I surrender!"

The Chidori died away, as did the Sharingan. Kakashi released her and stepped back, feeling the drain like a pull on his muscles. Crane appeared beside them in an instant with the body flicker jutsu.

"Good job, Hound," Crane praised. "You'll fit in well, here."

With adrenaline still in his veins, Kakashi stared back at Crane. "Who's next?" Hound asked.

Like a second skin.


	15. Chapter 15

Kakashi was fucking tired. But, hey, he'd take it.

It was a tiredness he was familiar with, at least. That bone-deep ache, weariness in every muscle, limbs heavy as lead from overuse. It meant that he was getting stronger, and even if he felt like shit right now, it was for the best.

What was decidedly _not_ for the best was the Hound mask staring back at him in the mirror.

Working for ROOT… Working for _Danzo_, of all people— it left his head spinning in a way that, even for all his years, he still couldn't quite get used to. Never did he think that he would dawn this armor for anyone other than Minato-sensei, or the Third.

Then again, he didn't think he would be hurtled through time and space, either. So he figured he was allowed a few reasonable excuses.

Alas, as long as he would like to sulk and stew in his own thoughts, contemplating life and how shitty his was particularly—and he could do that for quite a long time—his work wasn't done.

In his apartment, Kakashi undressed from his ANBU uniform. He dressed the wounds he'd received in his secret nightly training, or the ones that he could dress, at least. For being unceremoniously yanked back into his maybe-twelve or maybe-thirteen-year-old body and being pitted against formidable ROOT members, he didn't fair so badly.

'You should see the other guy' was on the tip of his tongue, but announcing such to an empty room would definitely make him a lunatic, and he was trying oh so desperately to hold onto the last dredges of his sanity.

Even still, he was bruised more than anything. His uniform was a little scorched from a sneaky flame jutsu trap, and his hair was a disheveled mess (even more so than usual), and his Sharingan eye was hurting something awful, but it was not his worst day.

It was far from his worst day.

Running on close to zero sleep would not make it his worst day by a long shot, but if Minato-sensei had decided upon anything incredibly intense for their training this morning, it would make this day very pointedly not his best day by a long shot, either. But, by gods, if Rin or Minato got on his back about looking worse for wear, he might genuinely pull his hair out. The last thing he needed was their worrying. Rin's pestering alone he could handle, but Minato digging his nose in where it didn't belong was what truly got his heart beating faster.

Well. Thinking back to that _incredibly_ stupid stunt in the Forest of Death that Rin had not only participated in but _devised_, perhaps he should be equally wary of her, if not more so.

Luckily, Kakashi was well-versed in hiding tiredness. Hopefully he was good enough at it that no one would ask any questions. He wasn't fatigued, by any means, but staying up all night fighting fiercely against arguably stronger opponents compared to getting a good night's rest…

Ah, who was he kidding. Kakashi hardly slept well just about ever.

If he thought about it, tired was pretty much his default state, wasn't it?

Not that it mattered. He had a job to do: saving his team from the fate _he _caused them in the first place. If he had to sacrifice some rest and comfort for it, he figured he was getting by pretty well, all things considered.

Kakashi dressed into his Chunin clothes quickly. He scrubbed his face in the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and tried to tame his hair just a little bit before deciding it was hell-bent on disobeying him and gave up. The last thing there was to do was get a bite to eat, and then he'd be on his way.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Kakashi was suddenly and forcefully hit with a wave of nausea as his left eye pounded terribly, gnawing away at what little chakra he had left. The beginnings of a migraine pulled painfully behind his eyes.

Change of plans, then. A bite to eat and a soldier pill and he'd be on his way.

At the very least, he knew he carried those on his person just about at all times. Out of instinct, he checked the time as he reached for one, because no matter what his students say, he was very punctual as a kid for a _reason, _which included having a solid internal clock or just frequently looking at some clock somewhere.

Reading the clock hands, Kakashi changed his plans once more.

Two soldier pills, then, while on his way.

He left quickly, locked the apartment, and popped back two soldier pills while running from rooftop to rooftop. They eased the oncoming migraine, at least, restoring his chakra if only temporarily.

In his mind, he could hear Minato-sensei's scolding. "_Chakra pills are for emergency consumption on the field, Kakashi! They do not replace a meal!"_

Huh. Or maybe that sounded a little more like Rin's voice.

Or like Gai's.

He could hear Tenzo saying something along those lines, too, but it would be accompanied by a knowing smile and a defeated sigh. Gai's would be louder, proclaimed for all the village to hear, or maybe just loud enough to almost get through Kakashii's thick skull.

Something ached in his chest, and it wasn't from the ROOT workout.

Damn it, he missed his _friends_.

But, no, he didn't have time for that right now. He could sulk in his thoughts later. With a heavy sigh, Kakashi leaped down into the grass of the training area, where Minato and Rin were waiting patiently for him. Obito was still nowhere to be seen.

"Kakashi!" Rin beamed. "Good morning!"

"Good morning," Minato added. "Oh, good, here comes Obito too."

Watching the Uchiha sprint, out of breath, to join them, the ache returned, and he rubbed at his chest absentmindedly. His friends were right here.

Right?

"Sorry I'm late," Obito blabbered. "You see, I was—" And Kakashi immediately tuned the rest out. Or, well, tuned out as best he could. Being a ninja and all, he was always picking things up, intentionally or not. Chances were that he'd find himself using Obito's same excuse sometime in the future, not even sure of where the idea came from.

He zoned completely in again when Minato started talking.

"Now that you're all here," the blond began, in an unusually serious tone, "I have something you all should be aware of."

Minato-sensei, as they all knew, could be a bit dramatic. They all saw it in different ways, in different aspects of his life: whether he was gushing about his girlfriend (and that was rather frequently), or pouring himself over a new scroll, or putting his all into making them better ninjas. Minato did everything at one-hundred-and-ten percent. (Kushina did, too, which made them quite the couple—and which made Naruto quite the student.) Still, Minato's students knew him well. He did his best to keep his gushing from interrupting their training as best he could, and that he was delaying what was probably well-needed training meant something big. Bigger, maybe, than Kakashi had the energy or wherewithal to deal with right now.

All three teenagers leaned in, wary and curious.

Tears welled in Minato's eyes.

"I… I _proposed to Kushina!"_

Rin screeched. Obito screamed. Minato was crying. They were all like a band of little joyous kids. Meanwhile, Kakashi felt like he'd just been hit with a truck, or a wind jutsu, or a wind jutsu the size of a truck.

The migraine returned full-force, blotting out his vision temporarily. Obito, Rin, and Minato all fell to white noise in the background.

Minato and Kushina were married by the time of the Kannabi Bridge mission. From memory, he recalled that they were married rather quickly after Minato finally worked up the guts to pop the question—a mere few weeks, something about "_I've been waitin' for him to hurry up and propose long enough, yanno? Sure as hell not gonna wait that long for the wedding!"_ or along those lines. Not long after Kannabi, Kushina was expecting.

Gods, it was all happening so _fast_. How much time did he even have before _the_ mission…? How much time did he have to get strong enough to stop it from happening? How could he have been such an idiot to let time slip by this quickly? He should have sought Danzo out from the start, should have wasted less time on distancing himself (or spent more time on it), should have worked out at least seven full-proof plans by now.

And it was too late. It was too late. Kakashi wasn't strong enough; there wasn't enough time. They would go to Kannabi and it would be the _same fucking thing_. Obito would die. Rin would die. Minato and Kushina and half the fucking village would _die_.

And this time it would be doubly his fault.

His shoulders sagged, burdened by such heavy knowledge, guilt, responsibility.

"Kakashi?" Rin questioned. "You haven't said anything…"

If 'tired' was his default setting, so would be 'faking it'.

"Ah, I was just surprised," Kakashi said coolly, and it wasn't entirely a lie. "Congratulations, Sensei."

"As bland as ever," Obito grumbled, and Rin gently elbowed him in the ribs.

Minato was still beaming, despite Kakashi's lackluster response. He looked quite proud of himself, actually. A formidable shinobi he was, but his smarts and skill in battle offered him little when navigating a relationship, especially with the Red Hot Habanero of all people. Somehow, though, someway, he got it right, and he didn't think he could ever be happier.

Kakashi recognized the look on Minato's face, guessed at what he was thinking, and it felt bittersweet to know that there would be an even happier time soon upcoming—an all too short happier time, but happier nonetheless.

"As exciting as that is," Minato continued, "it isn't all I have to share with you. There's also this." And he pulled a scroll from his pouch.

Kakashi felt his anxiety spike.

The timeline had gotten a little screwed, yeah, but it couldn't have messed up this badly, could it? They couldn't be going to Kannabi Bridge _now,_ could they?

He told himself that it couldn't, and they weren't, but his heart was racing anyway.

"We have a mission. We'll be staying close to the Land of Fire, but a town just outside our borders has been showing suspicious activity. We suspect they might be smuggling information on patrol routes to Iwa nin."

Kakashi had to forcibly stop himself from breathing the heaviest sigh of relief, but he felt dizzy with the sudden drop in his adrenaline anyway. No one seemed to notice.

"We'll be laying low," Minato continued. "While it's not abnormal for our shinobi to move in and out through that area, during times of war, the situation calls for different tactics. We can't just drop in and stay awhile, or it'll arouse suspicion."

"So we'll be going undercover?" Rin asked hopefully.

Minato nodded. "I'll brief you all more tomorrow morning. The Land of Fire is large, and it won't be quick to travel through it, so I expect you all to meet me at the west gate at seven sharp."

Obito suddenly felt three pairs of eyes on him (or, two and a half, since Kakashi kept insisting to cover his one eye like that—weirdo).

"H-Hey!" He protested.

Kakashi snickered and pretended not to notice Obito glaring daggers at him.

"I want you all to prepare for tomorrow," their sensei went on, unbothered by the brief interruption, "so we won't have any training today, unless there's something specific that you want to work with me one-on-one. If not, then you're dismissed!"

Seeing as none of them were too interested in staying for extra training, all three students turned to leave.

"Ah, Kakashi, wait a minute."

Or not.

Kakashi refrained from sighing, or pinching the bridge of his nose, or pretending to not hear Minato at all. He was an adult (even if he was in a child's body). He could act like one, at least.

"Yes, Sensei?" He hummed, turning back around.

Minato, at the very least, didn't look like he was overly worried, or losing hair from fretting, so he thought he could take that as a good sign. "Did you go to the hospital after training yesterday?" The Namikaze asked pleasantly.

_No_, Kakashi thought immediately.

"Yes sir," he replied instead, because, technically, he had gone to the hospital. Walked all the way there, made sure Minato wasn't trailing him, and then walked all the way home. So, yes, he had gone to the hospital. "The medical report should be with Lord Third soon."

Kakashi had tied up that loose end, too. He'd simply found Danzo, explained to him that the medical examination he had needed to be sent to Hiruzen quickly lest more suspicion around him be raised and their secret alliance possibly sniffed out, and that was that.

Minato, however, seemed to falter. "Why— Uh, why do you say that?" His sensei stammered awkwardly. Unprofessional, but not unlike Minato.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "All medical reports on shinobi end in Lord Third hands, Sensei, for final review."

"...O-oh. Yeah. Ahem." Minato clearing his throat did absolutely nothing to erase whatever weird behavior _that_ just was, but, well, it was an attempt. "That's all, then. I trust you'll let me know if there's anything… I should know?"

This conversation was getting weirder and weirder. "Yes, Sensei," he lied. Minato looked relieved.

"Well. Good. Um, that's all then. Have a good day, Kakashi, and I'll, uh, see you tomorrow morning."

"...Good day, Sensei."

Minato promptly fled the scene.

Well, that was strange as _fuck_. Minato, outside of battle, was hardly ever graceful, but that conversation hit a clumsy, flailing new low for him. How had he managed to forget that Hiruzen sees every shinobi's medical exam? Why did he look like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar?

Kakashi hummed, making a beeline for his apartment while keeping a casual stroll. Was there something that he didn't know?

If there were, it'd be something involving Minato and Hiruzen, surely, and himself. Or, rather, something _about_ himself, considering how Minato was attempting to hide it (as poorly as the performance was). But what? Something to do with the impromptu medical exam?

That in itself wasn't suspicious. Especially with how oddly Kakashi must have been acting after his thiry-ish self was punted by the universe itself into his twelve-or-thirteen-year-old body, having a check up wasn't strange. He had passed out earlier on and been unusually weak after that.

Kakashi worried his lip between his teeth, feeling like he was missing something.

Mixing Minato and medical jargon was about as effective as trying to mix oil and water. Kakashi's initial medical report, while worrying with its mentions of his severely damaged chakra pathways and the like, was the only report Minato had read, and the odds that he got anything out of that other than something was wrong was unlikely.

But Minato wasn't _stupid_. Far from it. It wasn't his fault he wasn't a medical nin.

Did the contents of that first report worry him so much to get the Third involved…?

Kakashi huffed quietly to himself. If that were the case, they _certainly_ wouldn't like the contents of his second, more thorough medical report. But if they were planning to examine that report, it'd mean they'd come up with a lot more questions than Kakashi felt like answering—or even knew how to answer, really.

It would have to be a problem for another day. Unless Minato or Lord Third approached him about it, or it interfered with his work with Danzo, then it wasn't Kakashi's concern who read what about him. And he certainly wasn't about to try to clear up a situation that hadn't even been muddled in, yet, because that just made everything worse. If Minato didn't know there was a serious problem to begin with, then trying to reassure the man that the serious problem was taken care of (somewhat) would do nothing but alert him to said serious problem.

Kakashi's brain felt fuzzy. Did what he just think actually make any sense…?

It didn't matter. He knew what he meant—ignore it until it becomes a big problem or it goes away. His life's philosophy. Hell, it'd gotten him this far.

It had also gotten him back in time, but, oh well. Par for the course.

Arriving at his apartment was quick work, especially with most of his walk consumed by his thoughts. His body longed for sleep as he unlocked the front door. He could think of nothing better.

Walking through the threshold, Kakashi was rudely greeted by all his earlier thoughts of Gai, Tenzo, Naruto, and every other burden weighing as much as all of the Land of Fire, migraine included.

Well, he had said sulking was for later. Later was now.

Closing the door behind him, Kakashi promptly decided to lay in bed and mope until he fell asleep, which he then proceeded to do. The moping didn't last long, and sleep claimed him quickly.

In the Hokage's Tower, Hiruzen took an incredibly long drag from his pipe and slid the medical report for a certain Hatake across to a certain worried sensei. "I'm afraid," Hiruzen said, blowing out a long trail of gray smoke, "that this might be worse than we initially thought."

Minato tried and failed to hide his nervousness. He picked up the lengthy report, the gold band on his finger sparkling in the sunlight, and he read.


	16. Chapter 16

Kakashi awoke with the rising of the sun, fighting with his blankets and in a cold sweat. He blinked away the claws of the shadowy figures in his dream, breathing heavily. The figures dissipated quickly now that he was awake, but he was still left with unease resting uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach. Nightmares tended to do that to him—whether he remembered them or not.

Blearily, he glanced at the clock. The bright digits read 5:21 AM.

Sun filtered in through his half-closed blinds, and Kakashi, as much as he would like to fall back into the warm darkness of sleep, he was already closer to fully awake than not. He still had about an hour and a half before he had to meet his team at the west gate for their mission, and it didn't take him a quarter of that time to get ready, but it would be pointless to toss and turn in bed for another hour.

So he got up.

And he thought, not for the first time, the lengths he would go to have his hands on a copy of Icha Icha. Any form of Icha Icha, at this point.

But he couldn't steal, beg, or kill for a book that had yet to be written. Sighing out his misery, he started a shower and got ready. He had the time to make himself a proper breakfast, at the very least, which he was thankful for.

The clock neared 6 AM, and Kakashi was fully ready, packed and dressed and fed and clean, and he was getting tired of sitting around his apartment waiting for time to pass. So he left and locked it up, all the while reminding himself that he didn't have any plants that needed looking after while he was gone.

The morning air was cool and crisp. Kakashi opted for a leisurely stroll around the village to waste time. Since his return to the pre-Nine Tails village, he'd once again become familiar with the layout, even if he still did find himself taking a wrong turn from time to time, and he was confident that he could go out and get "lost" and still know his way to the west gate. And so off he went.

Without a book to bury his nose in, Kakashi was left looking at the passersby. Even for so early in the morning, a Hidden village never truly sleeps. Other ninja, although few of them, moved across the rooftops, some heading out and some returning. Shopkeepers were beginning to get their store ready for the day's foot traffic, and other early birds were enjoying the weather before it grew hot in the afternoon.

Other early birds, unfortunately, included one very green-clad shinobi, walking around the village on his hands.

Kakashi dipped into another alleyway in hopes of avoiding him, but the cause was fruitless. He had been spotted.

"Kakashi!" Gai bellowed, shoving himself back onto his feet and sprinting over to where Kakashi was pointedly walking in the opposite direction.

The Hatake stifled a sigh. As much as he put up with (enjoyed) Gai's antics in his time, that was only after those hard-won years of friendship, of having each other's backs through thick and thin, battle after battle and competition after competition. This Gai, on the other hand, while he was just as adamant to pursue Kakashi's friendship, simply didn't measure up. And perhaps that was cruel of Kakashi to think, but it felt like the truth. In this time, as teenagers, and especially before Kannabi, they were classmates at worst and acquaintances at best.

In short, if Kakashi was going to put up with Gai, he would rather have his own time's Gai.

"Good morning, Gai," he drawled. The acknowledgement, however simple it was, lit up Gai's face like fireworks in the night sky.

"I haven't seen you out and about so early before!" Maito shouted, all too loud for the morning, as usual. "Finally enjoying the Springtimes of Youth, are we?"

Kakashi shook his head, and Gai fell into step beside him. "I'm leaving on a mission soon."

The expression that crossed Gai's face was… complicated. Kakashi couldn't tell if he was overjoyed or saddened. "By yourself?"

"With my team, in… Forty-three minutes."

That damn expression hadn't left Gai's face yet, and Kakashi couldn't tell why. Usually he was able to read Gai like an open book, because the man was anything but private. The Hatake suspected there was something Gai wanted.

"Oh," Gai said, sounding dejected, but he quickly returned to his energetic self, however forceful. He shouted, "I do hope you fare well then, and are successful!"

Kakashi, this time, allowed a sigh through his nose and stopped. Gai did the same, with that same look on him, like he was a kicked puppy. "Was there something you wanted, Gai?"

Gai squirmed. _Gotcha_.

"Well, I… I had simply been hoping, since I saw you early, that we would be able to have another challenge, Rival," he admitted.

Ah, so that was it. Kakashi glanced at the position of the sun in the sky once more and concluded that, depending on the challenge, he would have time.

This Gai wasn't his Gai, but he was Gai all the same. And Kakashi had missed his company, even if he would rather face Pein again than admit to it aloud. The loud, eager man (boy) had wormed his way into Kakashi's heart, and it was useless to try to remove him now, for Gai had dug his roots in like the most stubborn weed.

"I have time," Kakashi answered. And Gai broke into the most ridiculous grin that covered all of his lower face.

"That's splendid, Kakashi! Although I am not sure if we have time for another spar… And I do not want to wear you out before your mission."

"Mm." Kakashi looked around. They were fairly close to the eastern gate, on the opposite side of town than where Kakashi needed to be. He had an idea. "Let's race."

Gai blinked. "Race?"

"You heard me. I'm meeting Minato-sensei at the west gate, so I have to head that way anyway. It'd be the most convenient, and it'd be a nice warmup."

Recovering quickly from being taken aback, Maito beamed and struck his infamous pose that had not changed for decades, pointing his thumb at himself and grinning so fiercely that the sun caught in his white teeth. "A race it is, then, Rival!" He proclaimed.

Kakashi dipped his head in a nod. "We'll start at the east gate," he said, "and whoever gets to the west gate first wins… No chakra boosts, no rooftops."

"Fair as always, Rival!"

And so they made for the east gate.

Kakashi found a rock on the ground, looking out over the village, beginning to bustle with life. Dodging the early morning foot traffic and carts was going to be an interesting challenge. Going across the roofs would have been the most direct route, but without them, there was no one street that cut directly through the village from east to west.

This was going to be fun.

"When this hits the ground, we'll start," he explained, and Gai nodded along seriously, as if they were going into battle rather than having a friendly competition. "Ready?"

"Of course!"

"Then let's start."

Kakashi tossed the pebble into the air. They waited.

It clinked against the ground, and they were gone.

Both ninja sped through the village at breakneck speeds—one reason Kakashi had forbidden use of chakra, save for running on walls or the like. The last thing he'd like to do was alert the ANBU and be stopped because of the sudden, intense bursts of chakra. (And, admittedly, Kakashi was trying to save his chakra supply for the mission.)

Soon finding themselves in the thick of the village life, Kakashi ducked and dodged around pedestrians just trying to walk. The wind blew past them, and some shouted after them angrily, but neither shinobi paid them any mind. As they approached an intersection, a horse-drawn cart walked out directly in front of them. Kakashi smoothly stepped onto the walls of the nearby building, running straight past it, and Gai slid cleanly underneath, up again on his feet in seconds.

They were more evenly matched than Kakashi would like to admit, but with no chakra and no fighting, even as young as teenagers, Gai's speed was impressive, as it always had been.

Neither of them had broken a sweat, halfway through the village.

Kakashi was back on the ground, right beside Gai, but he remembered a shortcut. As a child, he'd found it, using it to avoid the larger gatherings of people who dragged the name of Hatake Sakumo through the mud. Seeing as the crowds were beginning to pool in the busying streets, Kakashi suddenly broke off from Gai, who noted his absence with a confused yelp.

While Gai had to fight his way through the streets, Kakashi's shortcut was beautifully abandoned. He sped through, coming out on the other side of the crowd, with Gai nowhere in sight. While Kakashi couldn't judge if that was a good or a bad thing, he focused instead on getting to the west gate, which loomed above in the near distance.

The further edges of the village were emptier than the heart of it, and Kakashi had an easier time maneuvering around the few people he needed to dodge. Most saw him coming and got out of his way if they were in it, and the oblivious others were left wondering what that strong breeze was.

Up ahead, Kakashi spotted a figure with a backpack and short brown hair walking casually to the west gate. _Rin_. Gods, if she saw him like this, and found out that it was because he was in a race against Maito Gai, she would never let him live it down. But Gai would never let him live it down if he lost—so he picked the lesser of two evils, all the while hoping Rin just miraculously didn't see him.

"Damn kid!" Shouted a shopkeeper. "Watch it!" And Rin turned her head to see what all the commotion was about. Immediately, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Kakashi…?" She questioned.

"Can't stay and chat!" Kakashi called as he flew by her. Rin stood, staring after, wondering what in the world her stoic teammate was doing. Then it clicked that perhaps she was later than she thought, and somehow Kakashi was also late. In a panic, she gave chase after him without knowing why, even though Kakashi was long gone from sight by then.

へのへのもへじ

Minato's form stood patiently at the west gate. The man leaned against his post, waiting for his students. It was just nearing 6:40 AM, so he expected Kakashi or Rin to arrive shortly. Hopefully Obito would make it on time. But, truthfully, that wasn't what was eating at Minato's brain.

_That medical report_… Minato worried the inside of his cheek with his teeth. He had figured that something was wrong with his student—Kakashi had started acting strangely some months ago, which included passing out and having something even stranger going on with his left eye. Then, at the Forest of Death, he could have sworn that he saw a Sharingan swirl in Kakashi's eye.

But that medical report _confirmed it_. And that was the scariest thing, probably. The report spared no detail. For some unknown reason, Kakashi's chakra system had been funneling chakra steadily to his left eye, which explained the drain and exhaustion from his student. So _much_ chakra had been sent there that somehow, someway, Kakashi was developing his own Sharingan, in a slow and painful process extremely unlike the Uchiha's instant activation.

As far as Minato knew, however, Kakashi had absolutely no Uchiha blood in him, so there was no possible way for a Sharingan to form. So then, how…?

Those answers Minato didn't think he'd be getting anytime soon. That, however, didn't stop his worrying. The unnatural and forced development of the Sharingan was putting too much strain on Kakashi's eye. Either Kakashi needed enough chakra to fully develop the Sharingan (which he didn't have) or he could risk being blind in that eye for forever.

And that didn't even scratch the surface of future _what ifs. _Suppose Kakashi did go blind—while he was certain his student could overcome the handicap, what would his chakra system do? Would it continue sending chakra to an eye that no longer worked? Would the flow of chakra switch to his other eye? Or would it cease altogether? The examiner gave no answers for those possibilities. Everyone was equally lost, and Minato assumed Kakashi fared no better.

Somehow, though, someway, that wasn't even the full extent of the problem. Although the first medical report had touched on it, the second gave more detail: Kakashi's chakra pathways were completely burnt out. Chakra systems could get damaged and scarred by overuse, like chakra exhaustion, but having the _entire system_ devastated as it was indicated something far more sinister. The medical examiner wrote out that the only time he had seen a system like Kakashi's was in an autopsy of a shinobi who had died of extreme chakra exhaustion.

Based off his system, by all means, Kakashi _should be dead_.

No one knew how he was still alive, let alone functioning (more or less) normally. Minato had no idea how Kakashi might have gotten into a position in which he had to use that much chakra while keeping it all a secret. At the very least, Kakashi would have been hospital-bound for weeks in a condition like that, and yet it never happened. Kakashi had always been under Minato's watchful eye, and this bizarre change had happened overnight.

Minato rubbed at his temples. He needed a strong drink.

Besides the _physical_ problems, Kakashi had changed in another glaringly obvious manner: his personality seemed to turn on a dime. Just as suddenly, the cold-shoulder he gave his teammates was replaced. What it was replaced with was so entirely complicated that Minato was still struggling to wrap his head around it. Kakashi had seemed both mortified and overjoyed to spend time with his teammates, and after aggressively distancing himself from them (which was strange enough; Kakashi kept his distance, yes, but he didn't go out of his way to) he turned around and began befriending them.

Not that Minato had qualms about Kakashi making friends, but combined with all of this information, it was far beyond strange.

His skill as a shinobi had improved as well. Kakashi tried to keep it hidden, but simply in the way he mastered the Lightning Whip jutsu proved it. Yes, Kakashi was well on his way to becoming a Jonin, but that was a difficult jutsu even for a veteran shinobi, and Kakashi had conquered it in an hour. And immediately after, he went to help Rin and Obito learn theirs.

Kakashi, for all purposes, might as well have been a veteran Jonin. The way he fought, the way he reacted to his students' idiotic stunt in the Forest of Death, the way he carried himself, as inconspicuous as he tried to seem—all of it screamed that he was confident in his skills, but on his guard, like waiting for the second shoe to drop. Minato had seen ANBU who resembled his student in that way. It was as if Kakashi had lived through decades of war.

Something twisted sickeningly in Minato's stomach. They were in a war now, yes, but Minato had done his best to keep his students away from the fighting. So then _why…_?

It was as if Kakashi… wasn't Kakashi anymore.

Minato felt as if he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him. No, that couldn't…

Kakashi couldn't be… He couldn't have been replaced by a spy, could he…?

No. No, that was just ridiculous. Kakashi, while not acting himself, was still Kakashi. While there was definitely something that the Hatake was hiding, it didn't fit with the behavior seen with spies.

Kakashi was still Kakashi, but he knew _too much_. It was as if he had seen the horrors of the world too many times and somehow walked out alive. Broken, scarred, but alive.

But how could all of that happen _overnight_?

A jutsu, maybe? A transfer of information from another shinobi that overwhelmed his chakra system? But Minato didn't know of any jutsu capable of _that_, and even if that was the case, what shinobi could it be? And why Kakashi? Sure, he was the last Hatake, and he was a student of the Yellow Flash—both of those alone were reasons enough to be targeted, but Kakashi was _safe_ in the Hidden Leaf.

So then _what?_

Minato's thoughts stopped dead in their tracks when he noticed Kakashi, sprinting at him. A cold fear flushed through him, and he was at the ready in an instant.

"Kakashi?!" Minato ran to his student, who stopped at the gate, breathing only a little heavy. "What's wrong? What happened?!"

Kakashi waved Minato off. "Nothing's wrong, Sensei," he replied coolly, and Minato wondered if he was going to have a heart attack or not. Surely his blood pressure wasn't meant to be this high.

"Then why—"

"Look." Kakashi turned back around, and over the crest of the hill, Maito Gai appeared, also sprinting.

Minato was silent, watching in a very confused awe as Gai came to a stop, immediately resting his hands on his knees.

"Ah, Rival, you've bested me yet again!" Gai wheezed, clearly out of breath. "That was… ah… very impressive…"

Kakashi, to Minato's surprise, actually seemed to be _putting up with_ Gai. "It pays to know shortcuts, Gai," he answered, wagging his finger at the green-clad shinobi. "The most direct route isn't always the fastest."

Gai exhaled heavily, standing to full height. "Of course! Such marvelous words of wisdom, Kakashi!"

"This makes us 2-0, you know."

Minato was a little more than lost, at this point. "Wait, what is—"

And then _Rin_ sprinted up to them, also panting. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" She apologized, immediately bowing low to Minato. All three stared at her incredulously.

"Rin," Minato said, "it's only 6:45."

Rin blinked, surprised, and stood up. "But then…" She looked to Kakashi, then Gai, then back to Kakashi. "Why were you running? And, Gai, why are you here?"

"My Rival and I were having a competition!" Gai shouted passionately. "We raced from the eastern gate here, but he defeated me once again!"

"Once again?" Rin and Minato echoed, looking to Kakashi for clarification.

Kakashi looked away, feeling flustered. "Gai asked me to spar. I beat him. And I beat him in the race, too. So we're 2-0 in my favor."

Gai, at least, didn't look too bothered. "Then I will train doubly hard to defeat you when you return from your mission!" He cried.

If Minato didn't know Kakashi better, he would think his student was _smirking_.

"Only doubly?"

Gai's vigor skyrocketed. "Thrice as hard!" He screeched. "No— I will work ten times as hard!"

"A-Alright Gai, you can calm down a little," Minato encouraged softly, noticing the odd stares they were receiving. Weirdest of all was that Kakashi almost, _almost_, looked to be _smiling_.

"Yes, forgive me, Minato-sensei!" Gai bowed quickly, and Minato was nearly worried the boy would pull a muscle with how fast he did so. "I do not want to hold you up on your mission, so I will take my leave. Rival!" And just like that, Gai was standing at full height again, whirling around to face Kakashi, who seemed unphased. "When you return, we will have another competition! And I will beat you!"

Minato and Rin both expected Kakashi to scoff, or ignore Gai completely, but to their shock, Kakashi didn't do either of these things. If anything, he did the opposite.

"Then you better come up with a good challenge," Kakashi replied.

Gai started weeping. "I will, Rival! I will! Please have a safe mission!"

And like that, Gai was gone.

The three of them stood very silently for a few seconds.

"Kakashi—"

"Don't ask."

And they waited for Obito, who arrived at 6:59 AM precisely. Kakashi immediately announced such upon Obito's arrival, and Obito laughed because, wow, see Sensei, he was on time!

Already feeling dragged through the wringer, Minato heaved a tired sigh and shooed his kids out of the gate.

へのへのもへじ

"So, Kakashi," Minato said, interrupting the silence between them, "you're, uh, getting along pretty well with Gai, huh?"

Kakashi glanced at his sensei, walking beside him down the dirt road, and then to Rin and Obito, who were mindlessly chit chatting up ahead. He warily eyed the Namikaze, wondering why this felt like the beginnings of an intervention.

"It'd appear so," he answered.

Minato, for his credit, took the lame answer in stride. "I thought you hated Gai."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and Minato flushed, feeling the need to elaborate. "I mean," the blond continued, "it seemed like… well, like you hated him. Or just didn't like him, at least, so I was surprised to see you two together."

That made sense. Kakashi knew what his attitude towards Gai had been as a teenager, and teenage him certainly didn't try to hide it, either. "Maa… I've had a change of heart, I suppose," Kakashi replied, kicking at a loose stone and sending it skittering down the path.

"You've… had a change of heart about a lot of things, recently."

There it was.

"Have I?"

Minato frowned, looking a little more than displeased with his student playing dumb. "Kakashi," he sighed, "I know you know what I'm talking about."

Kakashi shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Minato eyed the movement with that same worrying frown, but neither of them said anything else for another few minutes. Rin and Obito, oblivious, continued their upbeat conversation ahead.

"I read your medical report. The second one."

While not the best of news, Kakashi was determined to avoid this conversation. "Ah."

"Don't just—" Minato groaned, turning most of his body to face Kakashi as they walked. "Kakashi, I can't even _begin_ to wrap my head around everything in that report. By your chakra system _alone_ you should be—"

"Sensei."

Minato paused. Kakashi had a sharp look in his eye, that same expression that made it seem as if his young student was decades older.

"I'm aware of my own report, Sensei," Kakashi continued quietly. "But I'd rather not discuss it."

"With me?" Minato pushed. "Or with your teammates around?"

When Kakashi didn't answer, Minato steamrolled ahead. "Look," he started again, "I don't know what happened. I'm at a loss here. I started with a lot of questions and your report hasn't given me any answers. It's only given me more questions. If you don't know what's going on either, that's one thing, but if you know something and aren't _telling me_…"

Silence from Kakashi again. Minato was afraid it'd come to this.

"Kakashi, if you're sick in some way, it could threaten your role on the active duty roster."

_That_ got a reaction, at least. Tension rippled up Kakashi's spine, but instead of squaring his shoulders, his student seemed to hunch down even more, as if bunkering down for another barrage. "You wouldn't," Kakashi stated as if it were the truth. "You need me too much."

And while it was the truth, Kakashi's body language suggested he was afraid of the mere possibility of being taken off active duty. So Minato had to take what he had and run with it.

"Not if you're going to endanger your teammates."

Kakashi's chakra _flared_.

And it was gone in the next instant, but Minato was left reeling anyway. Obito and Rin didn't seem to have sensed it, and Minato was almost questioning if that had actually just happened. The amount of _power_ that came from his young student was far greater than Kakashi should have, let alone the amount of control it would take to reel that all in.

But it was as if Kakashi's mask slipped, for a split second, like the tea kettle screaming before being taken off the stove.

Minato stared, and Kakashi finally looked at him. The cold, steely glint in Kakashi's eye was yet another look far beyond his years, and Minato couldn't help but wonder, _What happened to you?_

"I understand your concern," the Hatake said, but through his calm facade it was as if he were talking through gritted teeth, "but I assure you, I will _never _put my teammates in danger."

Kakashi's body language was screaming _drop it_, and Minato got the sense that he had pushed too far. So he relented, for now, with a curt nod. "Of course, Kakashi," he murmured. "It's just something to think about."

And think about it Kakashi did, all the way until they reached their destination.


	17. Chapter 17

Team Minato made camp outside the town of Mizuba after the sun had set on their second day of travel. They were toeing the border of Fire Country, meaning the risk of encountering enemy shinobi was higher than it had ever been. They went without a fire.

They set up camp carefully and quietly. Even Obito was more hushed than usual, which didn't say much, but it did say something. Rin looked nervous; she'd been getting more and more restless the closer they got to their destination. Their team had gone on missions to aid in the war before, but never had they been so close to the enemy line. Kannabi had been their first true interaction with the Iwa nin, and Kakashi loathed to reflect on how well _that_ had gone.

With their sleeping bags rolled out underneath the perceived safety of a tall oak, the three students allowed themselves a little bit of relaxation after pushing themselves to get here quickly. Kakashi unwrapped a protein bar to munch on; Rin was double-checking her med kit; Obito was stretching lazily. Minato, meanwhile, was up in the treetops, scouting.

Silently, their sensei dropped in the center of them—startling all but Kakashi. "We're in the clear," Minato announced cheerily. "So, now is the best time to go over our plan one last time, make sure no one has any questions. Yeah?"

The students all gave varying forms of a yes and gathered around their sensei, ready to listen. Minato delved into the explanation as if he hadn't already given it twice.

"The orphanage is where we're suspecting the information is being passed through," he said. "We're not sure how, or by who, but you all are the perfect ages to blend in. So you're going to disguise yourselves as orphans—" Minato pointedly did not look at either Kakashi or Obito when he said this, even though the two boys looked at each other as if to say, _disguise? _"—and infiltrate the orphanage. I can't stress this enough, but take your time. We have just under two weeks to get what we need, and rushing this process can ruin our chances. I want you all to _stick together_. We've practiced our teamwork and here it's going to be imperative. I can't be with you, but I'm going to be nearby."

Kakashi did his best not to think about what happened the last time Minato had left them to their own devices on a mission.

"Obito, Rin, I want you both to follow Kakashi's orders," Minato continued. "He is the unofficial team leader. Kakashi, I need you to listen to what Rin and Obito have to say. Even if you are in charge, that does not mean that you need to make every decision on your own."

All three nodded, and Kakashi ignored Obito's annoyed look. He was good at ignoring things.

"I'm going to be around town trying to dig up information. I don't know how it works in the orphanage, but I'm assuming you're going to have just about free reign concerning what you do in the day. Don't arouse suspicion. We'll meet at the end of the week to exchange information and figure out what the next step is. But if anything goes wrong, you _get out of there_. Your safety is more important."

This time, Minato looked directly at Kakashi when he said that. _The mission does not come first. Your and your teammates' safety does. _

This time, Kakashi got the message loud and clear, and he responded with a curt nod that went unnoticed by Rin and Obito.

"Tonight we'll stay here, but tomorrow morning, the three of you are going to head into town. I'm going to come in from a different direction later in the day. We'll be without communication until we can meet in person again, so I'm trusting that you all know what you're supposed to do. Any questions?"

"Sensei," Rin began, "would it be too suspicious if all three of us went in at once? Especially because we're coming from the direction of the Leaf Village?"

Minato shook his head. "No. If you're all on your own, then it makes sense for you to stick together with your friends. Safety in numbers."

Rin dipped her head in a nod, but Minato's words didn't seem to ease her anxiety.

"Any other questions?"

When he was met with silence, Minato clapped his hands. "Good! I'm going to be going under a henge, but I don't want any of you to. At your levels, it'd be too easy for a Jonin to see through your disguises."

"Sensei," Kakashi piped up, "I think my hair stands out too much. I'd like to at least put that under a henge."

Minato hummed, nodding thoughtfully. "I came prepared!" With a grin too broad to mean anything good, Minato reached into his ninja pouch… and pulled out hair dye. Kakashi blanched.

"Hair dye?" He drawled, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Don't worry! It'll wash out in a few weeks. But keeping up a henge for as long as we're going to be here takes chakra I want you to save. So…" Minato shook the bottle. "Who wants to help?"

へのへのもへじ

Thirty minutes and a bottle of hair dye later, Hatake Kakashi had lost his infamous white hair and instead gained hair the color of the red dirt beneath their feet. Great. When it was finally done, he swatted everyone's hands away—Rin's especially, because she kept going on and on about how soft his hair was, asking what shampoo he used, and it didn't _feel_ like he used gel, so was it just spiked naturally?

"You don't even look like yourself, Kakashi!" Obito bellowed with laughter. If looks could kill, the Uchiha would have keeled over precisely thirty-one minutes ago.

"Shut up," Kakashi grouched. Of course, that did nothing to cease Obito's laughter.

"I think it looks kinda nice," Rin commented shyly. "I like the white hair better—"

"It's _gray_—"

"But the red looks good too!"

Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Gods, from his students to his teammates, he could never catch a break, could he?

"Now that that's done," Minato started again, trying (and failing) to hide his own snickers, "I trust you've all packed civilian clothes?"

He received a chorus of "Hai, Sensei," in response and nodded. "Good. With that settled, I want you all to get some rest. I'll—"

"What about the mask?"

Everyone collectively stared at Obito. The boy looked a mix of terrified and overjoyed, either because Kakashi would kill him or because he'd con his way into getting the Hatake to go without the mask. Perhaps both.

If only looks could kill.

Before Minato could offer his sagely advice on _that_ topic, Kakashi spoke up. "I've already got it covered," he said flatly. "No need to worry about it."

Minato clicked his tongue and wisely decided not to push it. "Alright. If we're settled, then get some rest. I'll take first watch."

Everyone silently agreed, heading to their respective sleeping bags while Minato took to the treetops. Instead of immediately bunkering down to get some rest, Rin looked to her two comrades. "Have you guys decided on your names yet?" She questioned. Obito audibly choked.

"You forgot," Kakashi drawled, unimpressed and unsurprised.

"H-hey! I was… busy! What name have _you_ thought of, Bakakashi?!" Obito challenged. Kakashi met him with the same monotone he always tended towards.

"Sukea."

"Oh! That's a great name, Kakashi. Do you think you could come up with one for me?" Rin asked sweetly.

Before Kakashi could stop himself, he said the first name that came to mind: "Sakura." And he immediately wished it was possible to eat his words. Damn him for opening his big mouth.

"Sakura? That's so pretty!" Rin gushed, completely oblivious.

Obito was eyeing Kakashi suspiciously and carefully not saying anything. Although it was clear that the Uchiha was hopeless with coming up with a name, he was stubbornly refusing to ask for help. The real twelve-year-old Kakashi would have smugly refused to help him, even knowing Obito was having difficulties. Luckily (thankfully), Kakashi was not actually twelve.

"Sasuke would be a good name for you," Kakashi found himself saying.

Surprisingly, Obito didn't immediately reject the same. "Sasuke?" He repeated. "Yeah, okay. So, Sukea, Sakura, and Sasuke? That's a lot of _S_'s."

Kakashi squinted. "You don't _have_ to use the names I thought of—"

"No! No, I'll… thanks."

The Hatake huffed contentedly. He was about to settle down into his sleeping bag and silently curse himself for giving them the names of _his students_, when he was interrupted. Minato's voice wafted down from the overhead branches.

"What name would you give me, Kakashi?"

And, damn it, he already had the theme going, so what was one more?

"Naruto," he replied.

"Wow! A name that doesn't start with S!" Obito exclaimed.

"I'm going to sleep now."

"Aw, what, Bakakashi can't take a little teasing?"

"_Goodnight._"

Hidden snuggly in the tree branches above his precious students, Minato turned the name over in his mind. _Naruto_…

へのへのもへじ

Kakashi was awoken by Rin nudging his sleeping bag. "Your turn," she mumbled, faceplanting onto her own bag and immediately falling asleep.

Sighing, he stood up, stretched, and climbed silently above to keep watch. He had watched the sun rise over the horizon many times before, but he savored it this time. Not often did he take the chance to appreciate his team sleeping soundly below. The first time around, he was pretty shit. He was trying hard to be decidedly less shit, and hoped it was working.

When the sun was high enough above the horizon, Kakashi jumped down from the trees. He woke Rin and Obito, grabbed his pack, and went somewhere more private to change into his civilian clothes. Before he put his shirt on, though, he reluctantly took off his skin-tight undershirt-mask combo, leaving his face bare before the trees. There hadn't been a time he could remember that he'd ever taken his mask off outside his own home—at least until he invented Sukea.

Fitting, that it was the name he was using now.

Feeling the breeze on his collarbone and his jaw was still strange. But he ignored it, tucking his ninja clothes away and making sure his weapons were securely hidden. Because they were in a disguise, they couldn't have as many ninja tools on their person, which Kakashi disliked, but every good ninja knew how to hide dozens of weapons on a seemingly empty person.

For curiosity's sake, Kakashi looked at his reflection in the nearby stream. His baby face stared back at him, sans his left eye, which his hair covered. Softly, he touched his cheek, where he was so used to the scar bisecting that side of his face.

How could someone look so innocent yet so haunted at the same time?

With a sigh, Kakashi turned away, displeased as ever with his face being on display. But if anyone had to see it, at least it was his team.

Kakashi walked through the wooded area to the camp, spotting Rin, Obito, and sleeping Minato through the trees. Rin glanced in his direction and immediately did a double-take, her face morphing into one of clear surprise. To _Kakashi's_ surprise, however, she pulled a kunai from somewhere on her.

Oh. She really didn't recognize him.

"It's just me," Kakashi reassured, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Kakashi?" Rin questioned, still skeptical.

"Yep. The one and only."

She sighed, heavily, and put the kunai away. Kakashi felt a twinge, an instinct to rush at her. She was too trustworthy; she hadn't tested him at all, and he could just as easily have been a stranger, or an _enemy_, and she would be none the wiser. His gut-instinct—or, perhaps, his sensei-instinct—was telling him to prove why she shouldn't make that mistake again.

He repressed it, this time. He could let it slide. After all, he didn't want Obito up in arms this early in the morning and right before the true beginning of their mission.

"Kakashi?!" Obito gaped.

"I didn't even recognize you!" Rin continued. "Is that a henge? I thought Sensei said—" She glanced at the sleeping Namikaze.

"Yep," Kakashi lied, "a henge."

Obito squinted at him, but before he could give the Uchiha time to question, Kakashi motioned towards the village. "We should get going… Sakura. Sasuke." The names felt familiar on his tongue as they ever did, although the latter left a bitter taste, a reminder of another one of his failures.

Looking at Obito, newly named Sasuke, Kakashi was determined that he was not going to fail again.

Rin, cheery as ever even so early in the morning, happily gathered up her things along with her two teammates. Kakashi was certain that Minato was not actually sleeping, but they moved quietly so as to not disturb the Jonin anyways. Within minutes, the trio—looking dirtied, homeless, and nothing like shinobi—made their way towards Mizuba.

へのへのもへじ

The mission was a success.

It was a hot mess, but it was a success overall. While there had been no traitors from the Hidden Leaf relaying messages to Iwagakure nin, there were some undercover Iwa shinobi in the town taking too much interest in the border of Fire Country and what lay within. They were disposed of fairly quickly. The longest part was finding them in such a crowded town, bustling with life and business as if a war wasn't going on. Kakashi almost found himself envying them.

Luckily, the team wrapped up the mission earlier than anticipated, so they didn't have to rush to get back home. Everyone was tired from the mission and the fighting. Kakashi, while grateful for the practice in his bulking up his chakra reserves, especially felt the drain, if the migraine pulsing behind his left eye was anything to go by. Rin had soothed it to a dull ache, bless her, but he still wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed in a dark room and sleep the day away.

Obito was brandishing the bandages around his arm like a gold medal, as he explained to Minato for the fifth time how he'd received such an honorable wound. He'd "taken the hit for Bakakashi," as he was saying. Kakashi had known fully well the kunai was headed towards him, but he'd first needed to deflect the shuriken in front of him before he could turn around and knock the kunai away.

Like a dunce, Obito had decided to just take the kunai straight to the arm for him.

Kakashi was too tired to explain himself more than once, and he was too tired to be angry—but oh was he angry. It was still there, squashed down in his chest. If he didn't have more control over himself than the decades of suppression allowed him, then he would have yelled at Obito _far more_ than he already had.

Of course, Obito didn't understand why Kakashi was angry. He didn't understand that Kakashi didn't need to _be saved_. He didn't understand that it was that same foolhardy mindset that would get him _killed_.

And so Kakashi simmered, walking at the back of the group, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his mask back in its rightful place. At least, with the mask on, no one could see his grimace.

The scene replayed in his mind like a broken record. Had Obito been angled differently, had the kunai been aimed for Kakashi's neck instead of his back, had _anything_ occurred other than the way it had, the chances skyrocketed that Obito had bled out before Rin could so much as get her medkit. And it would have been Kakashi's fault.

When Obito had turned to him, then, with a kunai sticking out of his arm and a stupid grin on his face, their eyes locked. And _something_ must have been written all over Kakashi's face, because Obito's grin immediately fell away. The Uchiha's face had morphed into something different altogether; his eyes had gone wide; his mouth fell open. He'd looked shocked that Kakashi wasn't immediately thankful.

...No. That wasn't true.

Obito had been shocked that Kakashi looked _afraid_.

They'd been avoiding each other since the battle. Or, at least, Kakashi had been avoiding Obito, and the Uchiha hadn't gone out of his way to remedy that. Realistically, it was probably their normal behavior in Rin's and Minato's eyes. But Kakashi was sulking, so he labeled it as avoiding and called it a day.

Rin occasionally cast a glance back at him from where the center of the group, worry in her eyes. Kakashi ignored her, for now. He wanted the space, and he was fine, so her worrying was needless.

By the time they made camp for the night, Kakashi had sulked enough and quietly reinserted himself into the group. It didn't go unnoticed by the others, and his teammates happily welcomed him back into the latest conversation. If Kakashi didn't know any better, he'd say Obito almost looked relieved.

Truthfully, it was nice. It was something Kakashi hadn't realized he missed until he was back in the thick of it—a team that just _knew_ him. And, sure, maybe they didn't really know him considering all his years on them, but it was a moot point.

The next day would be their last on the road.

Their formation changed occasionally to accommodate various conversations. Sometimes he and Rin would talk the lead, discussing different medical topics or even how frustrated she got sometimes with her sewing. He could offer little advice on that front, considering his specialty was sewing torn pants and shirts back together, but he listened as if it was the most interesting topic in the world.

Occasionally he walked beside Obito, although Rin was usually with them. While Rin and Obito chattered away about many different things, from how awesome it was to fight real enemy shinobi to how they couldn't wait to get home and take a bath, Kakashi would chime in with his thoughts every now and then. Every time he did it was as if he tossed them a gold nugget, the way the both of them looked so happy to hear his thoughts.

The one thing he and Obito didn't talk about was yesterday. Which was fine. They mutually agreed to pretend it never happened, which was what Kakashi preferred to do with most things.

As they neared Konoha, Kakashi found himself at the back of the group, walking beside Minato. Rin and Obito were, once again, deep in conversation. How they had so many things to talk about when they spent just about every waking moment together was beyond Kakashi.

It was quite convenient for Minato, however, because it meant that the odds were slimmer that they would hear his and Kakashi's conversation. The topic was harmless for now—they were discussing Kakashi's upcoming Jonin exam, which would take place fairly soon after their return. At the very least, the Hatake didn't seem worried about it in the slightest. However, Minato wanted to turn the conversation into something a little riskier. But it'd been bugging him, and he wanted it off his chest.

When their talk lapsed for a moment, then came Minato's opportunity to strike.

"So, Kakashi," the blond began, "I've been meaning to ask."

"Hm? What is it, Sensei?"

"Ah, well…" Minato did his best to sound only slightly interested. "Who's Naruto?"

Rin or Obito wouldn't have noticed it, but the Namikaze did. Tension ran up between Kakashi's shoulder blades, and he got this _look_ in his eye. It was times like this when Minato couldn't help but think that Kakashi looked so much older than he was.

"Nobody, Sensei," Kakashi answered. As good as his student was at lying, he wasn't so good at lying to _Minato_. At best, the answer was a half-truth. (Nobody, _yet_.) The Hatake continued, "It was just a name I thought up."

Minato hummed. "Is that right?"

"...Yes."

He eyed his student. The subtle discomfort had yet to vanish, and Minato suspected it wouldn't until the topic was dropped. However, that small sign was enough for Minato to keep after it like a ninken with a fresh scent.

"You know," Minato continued, "this isn't the first time you've called me Naruto."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly. "I've never called you Naruto before."

"You have." Minato nodded, reaffirming his point. "It was a while ago. You were in the hospital after you passed out during training. I was by your bedside when you woke up, and you started calling me Naruto."

Kakashi very carefully chose to look at his feet. "Well, I'm sure I was—"

"In a lot of pain?"

The Hatake glanced up at him, clearly confused. "Huh?"

Minato scratched at the back of his neck. "You kept talking about pain," he explained. "You did a number on your eyes, you know, by channeling chakra to them like you did… When I asked you about it, you said it was because of pain."

Oh.

_Oh_.

Kakashi looked away. His stomach churned thinking about Pein, the fight that had yet to be. He vividly remembered the destroyed village, the bodies of his comrades and civilians alike among the rubble. His Sharingan had recorded almost all of it, but above all he remembered Choji, a missile sucked into oblivion, a blue sky… a campfire.

His sensei, seemingly oblivious, barreled on. "...Which I don't really get, but that's beside the point. You called me Naruto a few times. And then, earlier, you said it again. So I was just curious who this Naruto fella was."

"Just… someone I used to know."

"Ah."

The duo lapsed into silence once more. Kakashi thought the conversation was finally over, but as the gates to the Hidden Leaf rose into sight, Minato spoke up once more.

"So, will I ever get to meet this Naruto?"

That brought a small smile to Kakashi's lips. "Yeah," he answered, "you'll meet him eventually."

"Hey!" Obito's loud voice interrupted their conversation. "Bakakashi! I know why that mission got you so tired!"

Kakashi and Minato exchanged curious glances before the Hatake turned his attention to the Uchiha. "Oh?" He prompted, genuinely curious.

"It was because of that henge you had up the whole time!"

Kakashi's jaw shut with an audible _click. _Minato looked puzzled, his gaze shifting from Obito, to Kakashi, and then back to Obito. "Obito," their sensei began politely, "Kakashi didn't have a henge on our mission."

Silence.

And then, from Obito and Rin both:

_"What?!"_


End file.
